Mesopore nickel-based mixed rare-earth oxide (NMRO) and activated carbon (AC) with rich oxygen-contained groups were prepared as electrode materials in a supercapacitor using room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) electrolyte. These electrode materials were characterized by XPS, XRD, N-2 adsorption, SEM as well as various electrochemical techniques, and showed good properties and operated well with RTIL electrolyte. A 3 V asymmetrical supercapacitor was fabricated, which delivered a real power density of 458 W kg(-1) as well as a real energy density of 50 Wh kg(-1), and during a 500-cycle galvanostatic charge/discharge measurement, no capacity decay was visible. Such promising energy-storage performance was to a large extent ascribed to nonvolatile RTIL electrolyte with wide electrochemical windows and high stable abilities worked with both electrode materials. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.