Facile synthesis and electrochemical properties of conducting SrRuO3–RuO2 composite nanofibre mats

This study reports the facile synthesis of highly conductive SrRuO3(SRO)–RuO2 composite nanofibre mats and their potential suitability for application in electrochemical capacitors as an active electrode material. SRO–RuO2/poly(vinyl acetate) composite nanofibre mats are electrospun on to a Au-coated SiO2/Si substrate and a Ti substrate, subsequently thermocompressed at 60 °C, and calcined at various temperatures (from 350 to 850 °C). The calcined SRO–RuO2 nanofibre mats exhibit porous morphologies and bundle shapes composed of multiple-fibrils with a nanoparticle diameter ranging from 20 to 50 nm. Single SRO–RuO2 nanofibre and multiple SRO–RuO2 nanofibre mats show high electrical conductivity of 476 and 40.8 S cm−1, respectively. Pseudocapacitors using SRO–RuO2 nanofibre mats calcined at 350 °C exhibit a high specific capacitance of 192 F g−1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1. The superior capacitance retention (83.4%) of the SRO–RuO2 nanofibre mats is maintained even at rapid scan rate of 1000 mV s−1.