Facile synthesis and electrochemical properties of conducting SrRuO 3–RuO 2 composite nanofibre mats

Abstract

This study reports the facile synthesis of highly conductive SrRuO 3(SRO)–RuO 2 composite nanofibre mats and their potential suitability for application in electrochemical capacitors as an active electrode material. SRO–RuO 2/poly(vinyl acetate) composite nanofibre mats are electrospun on to a Au-coated SiO 2/Si substrate and a Ti substrate, subsequently thermocompressed at 60 °C, and calcined at various temperatures (from 350 to 850 °C). The calcined SRO–RuO 2 nanofibre mats exhibit porous morphologies and bundle shapes composed of multiple-fibrils with a nanoparticle diameter ranging from 20 to 50 nm. Single SRO–RuO 2 nanofibre and multiple SRO–RuO 2 nanofibre mats show high electrical conductivity of 476 and 40.8 S cm −1, respectively. Pseudocapacitors using SRO–RuO 2 nanofibre mats calcined at 350 °C exhibit a high specific capacitance of 192 F g −1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s −1. The superior capacitance retention (83.4%) of the SRO–RuO 2 nanofibre mats is maintained even at rapid scan rate of 1000 mV s −1.