Development of nano-spherical RuO₂ active material on AISI 317 steel substrate via pulse electrodeposition for supercapacitors

The goal of the present study is to develop a thin film hydrous ruthenium oxide (RuO₂) electrode material on Ni flashed AISI 317 stainless steel (SS) substrate by pulse electrodeposition (PED) technique for application in supercapacitors. The nickel (Ni) strike thin film is deposited prior to RuO₂ in order to improve the adhesion of the active material on the SS substrate. The prepared RuO₂ active material on Ni strike SS electrode is characterized using XRD, SEM with EDAX and electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using an IVIUM reference potentiostat. The surface morphologies of the thin film (thickness of 2.3μm) active materials are nano-spherical shaped and the particles are arranged uniformly without cracks on the SS substrate. The electrochemical impedance and CV profile demonstrates its superior characteristics in the electrochemical system. Moreover, the specific capacitance of RuO₂ value is approximately 520Fg^-1 at the scan rate of 1mVs^-1 and it's indicating a better utilization of active species in supercapacitors.