Superior capacitive characteristics of RuO2 nanorods grown on carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as the electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) material and were synthesized by using thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD). To enhance the EDLC capacity, the ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) nanorods were grown on CNTs by using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The synthesized CNTs were the principal part and template, and the RuO2 nanorods were grown outwardly from CNTs. The increase of effective specific area between electrode and electrolyte played an important role in enhancing the capacitance. Different concentrations of KOH were used as electrolyte to measure the capacitance to find the variation of capacitance. Moreover, the RuO2/CNT composites demonstrated a stable cycle life. The results showed that the RuO2/CNT composites were a promising supercapacitor device material. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.