Patent ID: 7986509

Claim:
A composite electrode comprising a porous carbon structure having a conformal surface coating of mixed metal oxides; the pores of said porous carbon structure including above average and below average pore size and wherein said pores of above average pore size are not generally occluded by said metal oxide coating; wherein said porous carbon structure comprises a carbon xerogel/ambigel that has been templated, said porous carbon structure further comprising carbon nanofibers for increased mechanical support of said templated carbon xerogel/ambigel; wherein said porous carbon structure possesses pores with an average diameter larger than about 5 nanometers and smaller than about 5 micrometers; said mixed metal oxide coating comprising oxides of manganese, titanium and one or more of nickel, iron and vanadium; or oxides of manganese, cobalt and one or more of nickel, iron and vanadium; or oxides of manganese, tin and one or more of nickel, iron and vanadium; or oxides of manganese, lead and one or more of nickel, iron and vanadium; or oxides of manganese, aluminum and one or more of nickel, iron and vanadium; or two or more metal oxides selected from a group consisting of oxides of manganese, cobalt, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, rhodium, iridium, osmium, rhenium, tungsten, tantalum, palladium, lead, tin and titanium; wherein the average thickness of said mixed metal oxide coating is greater than 10 nanometers and less than 1000 nanometers; said metal oxide coating mixture composing a nanocrystalline phase, a polycrystalline phase, an amorphous phase or any combination thereof.