A New Charge Storage Mechanism for Electrochemical Capacitors and Charge Storage Density Vs. Crystalline Structure of Metal Oxides

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe hydrous ruthenium oxide (RuO2.xH2O) powders with different contents of H20 have been formed by a sol-gel process and have been annealed at different temperatures. It was found that the specific capacitance of RuO2.xH2O is strongly dependent on the crystalline structure. The specific capacitance of over 720 F/g was obtained in an amorphous RuO2.xH2O. This value is at least two times greater than ever reported of this type of material.The specific capacitance dropped rapidly as the amorphous phase transforms into the crystalline phase at high temperatures. In contrast to the crystalline phase the specific capacitance of an amorphous RuO2.xH2O was not dependent on the specific surface area. The charge storage mechanism in amorphous RuO2.xH2O is different from that in the crystalline RuO2. The current in the cyclic voltammetric curve of RuO2.xH2O is nearly constant and is symmetrical with the potential in a range of 1 volts. The resistivity of pellets made from these powders is in the order of 10−3 Ω-cm.