Improved optical, mechanical, and electrochemical performances of MWCNT/MnS-incorporated bioderived gel ternary nanocomposite

Nanocomposite film–based biodegradable gelatin (gel) polymer incorporated with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and manganese sulfide (MnS) nanoparticles has been fabricated by the solution casting technique. The diversity of different chemical groups in the gel/MWCNT/MnS ternary nanocomposite polymer has been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectra. The DC resistivity of the gel/MWCNT/MnS reduces in comparison with the pure gel polymer. The inclusion of MWCNT and MnS remarkably enhances the tensile strength with an estimated value of 2.11 MPa. Due to the enhanced charge transfer phenomenon between layers and defect states, the optical bandgap of gel has been observed to be reduced from 4.91 to 4.37 eV while incorporating MWCNT and MnS nanofillers. The electrochemical energy storage performances of gel/MWCNT/MnS have been studied in the three-electrode configuration. The gel/MWCNT/MnS sample exhibits a maximum specific capacitance of 64.46 Fg⁻¹ at 10 mV/s. In addition, the ternary nanocomposite exhibits the highest energy density of 38 Wh/g at specific power of 210 W/g and maximum specific power of 210 W/g at specific energy of 6.475 Wh/g. This work promotes possible strategies for improving the electrochemical performances of gel/MWCNT/MnS as an electrode material.