Hydrous ruthenium oxide-tantalum pentoxide thin film electrodes prepared by thermal decomposition for electrochemical capacitors

In this work, we have fabricated high-performance thin-film electrodes for electrochemical capacitors (ECs) via thermal decomposition syntheses of RuO2–Ta2O5 coating layers on Ti substrates. The influences of decomposition temperature as well as the Ru/Ta molar ratio on material and electrochemical properties of the EC electrodes are systematically investigated. The thermal decomposition of 300 °C preserves a large fraction of hydrous RuO2·xH2O within the hybrid oxide and consequently improves the electrode capacitance. The amorphous Ta2O5 incorporation can manipulate the RuO2 crystallinity and thus its specific capacitance. An optimal Ru/Ta molar ratio of 7:3 is determined for the RuO2–Ta2O5 electrode, which can deliver an energy density of 4.8 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 8,720 W kg−1 (or 8.3 Wh L−1 at 15,000 W L−1). In addition, an excellent durability of 97.6% capacitance retention after 3,000 charge-discharge cycles is found for this electrode. The proposed RuO2–Ta2O5 thin-film electrode has paved the way for next-generation ECs with superior capacitances, energy/power densities, and cyclability.