DEPOSITION OF RUTHENIUM NANOPARTICLES ON CARBON AEROGELS FOR HIGH-ENERGY DENSITY SUPERCAPACITOR ELECTRODES

The preparation and characterization of high surface area ruthenium/ca rbon aerogel composite electrodes for use in electrochemical capacitor s is reported. These new materials have been prepared by the chemical vapor impregnation of ruthenium into carbon aerogels to produce a unif orm distribution of adherent approximate to 20 Angstrom nanoparticles on the aerogel surface. The electrochemically oxidized ruthenium parti cles contribute a pseudocapacitance to the electrode and dramatically improve the energy storage characteristics of the aerogel. These compo sites have demonstrated specific capacitances in excess of 200 F/g, in comparison to 95 F/g for the untreated aerogel.