Energy usage has increased substantially in recent years with an estimated global energy production predicted to reach 28 TW by 2050. Currently, approximately 85% of energy is generated from the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum products and natural gas, which are neither sustainable nor eco-friendly. Renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydrothermal are alternatives to replace the current non-renewable primary energy source. This renewable energy dominated future leads to a world where energy storage systems need to be efficient to sustain the heavy loads because of increasing energy demands.

Currently any renewable energy source must be paired with an energy storage device such as, a capacitor, battery, flywheel, pumped hydro or compressed air, to utilize both the energy produced and to increase the efficiency of the device. As renewable energy devices become more powerful and efficient, so must the energy storage device paired to it. Thin-film MnO₂ deposits have exhibited properties that are highly desirable for use as ultracapacitors, due to its exceptional performance, high abundance, cheap production costs and non-toxicity.

In this work the layered MnO₂ thin-films were produced using a duty cycle method in which a constant potential is pulsed throughout the duration of the electrodeposition, this allowed for both the number and duration of pulses and rests to be varied which has ultimately enabled studying the effect of those factors on the performance of the MnO₂ thin-films. The performance of the MnO₂ thin-films were then analysed by sweeping the potential between 0.2-0.8 V vs SCE in a solution of 0.5 M K₂SO₄ for 250 times to observe cycling efficiency and morphological changes after cycles.