Two-step preparation of carbon nanotubes/RuO₂/polyindole ternary nanocomposites and their application as high-performance supercapacitors

Abstract

A ternary single-walled carbon nanotubes/RuO₂/polyindole (SWCNT/RuO₂/PIn) nanocomposite was fabricated by the oxidation polymerization of indole on the prefabricated SWCNT/RuO₂ binary nanocomposites. The nanocomposite was measured by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS and XPS, together with the electrochemical technique. The electrochemical results demonstrated that the symmetric supercapacitor used SWCNT/RuO₂/PIn as electrodes presented 95% retention rate after 10000 cycles, superior capacitive performance of 1203 F·g⁻¹ at 1 A·g⁻¹, and high energy density of 33 W·h·kg⁻¹ at 5000 W·kg⁻¹. The high capacitance performance of SWCNT/RuO₂/PIn nanocomposite was mainly ascribed to the beneficial cooperation effect among components. This indicated that the SWCNT/RuO₂/PIn nanocomposite would be a good candidate for high-performance supercapacitors.

Keywords

SWCNT/RuO ₂/PIn / nanocomposite / supercapacitor

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