Manganese dioxide (MnO2)-decorated flower-like bismuth subcarbonate ((BiO)(2)CO3) and calcined product (Bi2O3) have been uniformly fabricated via a hydrothermal approach, and further investigated as the electrodes for supercapacitor. Both of the core-shell nanostructures displayed moderate capacities (196 F g (1) or 54.5 mAhg (1) for (BiO)(2)CO3@MnO2 and 139.4 F g (1) or 38.7 mAhg (1) for Bi2O3@MnO2) with superb cycling stability (125% for (BiO)(2)CO3@MnO2 and 112% for Bi2O3@MnO2 after 1000 cycles). The electrochemical properties of the electrode are strongly related to their high surface area, porous structure and good conductivity, which cannot only provide rich active sites but also shorten the ion transport pathways. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.