Preparation and characterization of RuO<,2>·xH<,2>O/carbon aerogel composites for supercapacitors

摘要

A series of RuO<,2>·xH<,2>O/carbon aerogel (CA) composite electrode materials were prepared by a chemical precipitation method. To accelerate the reaction and improve the dispersion of RuO<,2>·xH<,2>O particles on the surface of carbon aerogel, an ultrasonic wave was used. The structure and morphology of as- prepared composite were characterized by N2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that carbon aerogels had a pearly network structure and the composites had a relatively high specific surface area and mesopore volume. The electrochemical performance of the composite electrodes was studied by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements and electrochemical impedance measurements. The results indicated a substantial increment of the specific capacitance of carbon aerogel. Moreover, the utilization efficiency of RuO<,2>·xH<,2>O was improved greatly by loading them on the conductive and porous carbon aerogel due to the significant improvement in inter-particle electronic conductivity and the extensive mesoporous network of the composites.