Carbon cladded TiO2 nanotubes: fabrication and use in 3D-RuO2 based supercapacitors

In this work we introduce a facile procedure that allows a highly conformal coating of self-organized TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) with a graphite-like thin carbon layer. This provides a platform to enhance the functionality of TiO2 nanotubes for a wide range of applications. Here we show that such modified nanotubes can serve as a 3D scaffold for an ideal decoration with RuO2 nanoparticles. Used as 3D pseudocapacitor electrode, capacitance values of up to 80 times higher than plain TiO2 NTs, and a very high yield of utilization of RuO2 (872 F g(-1)) and excellent long-term cycling stability can be reached.