Enhanced electrochemical performance of hydrous RuO2/mesoporous carbon nanocomposites via nitrogen doping

Hydrous RuO2 nanoparticles have been uniformly deposited onto nitrogen-enriched mesoporous carbons (NMCs) via a facile hydrothermal method. The nitrogen doping in the carbon framework not only provides reversible pseudocapacitance but also guides uniform deposition of RuO2 nanoparticles. As a result, an extremely high specific capacitance of 1733 F/g per RuO2, comparable to the theoretic capacitance of RuO2, is reached when 4.3 wt % of RuO2·1.25H2O is loaded onto the NMCs. Systematic studies show that either nitrogen-free or excess nitrogen doping result in RuO2 clusters formation and worsen the electrochemical performances. With intermediate nitrogen and RuO2 content (8.1 wt % N, 29.6 wt % of RuO2·1.25H2O), the composites deliver excellent power performance and high specific capacitance (402 F/g) with reversible capacitive response at 500 mV/s. The unique properties of nitrogen in textual, morphological, and electrochemical aspects may also provide further understanding about the effects of nitrogen doping and metal oxide deposition on supercapacitor performance.