Fabrication of poly(3-methylthiophene)/poly(ethylene oxide)/ruthenium oxide composite electrospun nanofibers for supercapacitor application

In the present work, composites of poly(3-methylthiophene)/poly(ethylene oxide)/ruthenium oxide nanofibers (PMT/PEO/RuO2) were fabricated by electrospinning technique and applied for energy storage applications. The accumulation of ruthenium oxide nanoparticles into conducting polymeric chains enhance the conductivity, surface area, stability, decrease the distortion ratio in polymeric chains, and improve the active mechanism sites in the composite surface. The structure, oxidation state, morphology studies were analyzed by using XRD, XPS, SEM, and HR-TEM analysis. The thermal studies and surface area were measured using TGA/DTA and BET analysis. The electrochemical performance was examined through cyclic voltammetric, galvanostatic charge and discharge, and impedance spectroscopy analysis by three-electrode system in 1 M KCl electrolyte. The intrinsic nanofibrous morphology of PMT/PEO/RuO2 composite nanofibers showed 623 F/g of capacitance at 1 A/g constitute 92% retention after 5000 cycles. Hence the composite nanofibers would be considered as an electrode for the electrochemical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, composites of poly(3-methylthiophene)/poly(ethylene oxide)/ruthenium oxide nanofibers were fabricated using electrospinning technique and evaluated for energy storage applications. The results showed that the accumulation of ruthenium oxide nanoparticles enhanced the conductivity, surface area, and stability of the composite, while reducing distortion in the polymeric chains and improving the active mechanism sites on the surface. The composite exhibited favorable electrochemical and thermal properties, making it suitable for electrode materials in electrochemical applications.