Insights into MWCNTs/polyimide nanocomposites: from synthesis to application as free-standing flexible electrodes in low-cost micro-supercapacitors

In the pursuit to enlarge the library of polyimide materials for energy applications, new polyimide/MWCNTs composite films have been developed by MWCNTs-assisted polycondensation reaction of a hydroxyl and triphenylmethane-containing diamine with benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride targeting to highlight their electrical storage capability as flexible electrodes in micro-supercapacitors (mSCs). The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, UV–vis, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopies were used to demonstrate the evolution of interfacial interactions between MWCNTs and the precursors (diamine monomer and intermediate polyamidic acid) and polyimide matrix that proved to be the origin of MWCNTs homogeneous dispersion. Thus, composite films incorporating 1, 3, 5, and 10 w.t.% MWCNTs were obtained and thoroughly investigated with regard to their morphology, mechanical behavior, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity. The electrochemical performance of these composites was first analyzed in a classical three-electrode cell by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge in both aqueous and organic electrolyte systems. By far, the best electrical storage capacity was obtained with the composite polyimide film containing 10% MWCNTs that was further used as both active material and current collector in a flexible symmetric mSC realized by a straightforward and low-cost procedure. In the attempt to better exploit the advantages of this composite film, it was layered with a graphite-containing paint and tested as an electrode in a flexible mSC, which provided satisfactory results. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the electrical charge storage capability of a polyimide/MWCNTs free-standing film as a flexible electrode in mSCs, which do not require time- and resource-consuming processing steps.     

Electroless Deposition of Thionin onto Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Single Wall and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes: Improvement of the Electrochemical Reversibility and Stability

A simple procedure was developed to prepare a glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and thionin. Abrasive immobilization of CNTs on a GC electrode was achieved by gently rubbing the electrode surface on a filter paper supporting carbon nanotubes, then immersing the GC/CNTs‐modified electrode into a thionin solution (electroless deposition) for a short period of time (5–50 s for MWCNTs and 5–120 s for SWCNTs ). Cyclic voltammograms of the resulting modified electrode show stable and a well defined redox couple with surface confined characteristic at wide pH range 2–12. The electrochemical reversibility and stability of modified electrode prepared with incorporation of thionin into CNTs film was compared with usual methods for attachment of thionin to electrode surfaces such as electropolymerization and adsorption on the surface of preanodized electrodes. The formal potential of redox couple (E°′) shifts linearly toward the negative direction with increasing solution pH. The surface coverage of thionin immobilized on CNTs glassy carbon electrode was approximately 1.95×10^?10 mol cm^?2 and 3.2×10^?10 mol cm^?2 for MWCNTs and SWCNTs, respectively. The transfer coefficient (α) was calculated to be 0.3 and 0.35 and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants (K_s) were 65 s^?1 and 55 s^?1 for MWCNTs/thionin and SWCNTs/thionin‐modified GC electrodes, respectively. The results clearly show a great facilitation of the electron transfer between thionin and CNTs adsorbed on the electrode surface. Excellent electrochemical reversibility of redox couple, high stability, technically simple and possibility of preparation at short period of time are of great advantages of this procedure for modification of electrodes.     

Cyclic Voltammograms of Ferrocene on Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs)‐Modified Edge Plane Pyrolytic Graphite (EPPG) Electrode in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) of 1‐Ethyl‐3‐Methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate (EMIBF4)

In this work, the electrochemical behavior of ferrocene (Fc) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) of 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIBF₄) on glass carbon (GC), edge plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG) and multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs)‐modified EPPG electrodes, respectively. The results demonstrated that on GC electrode, pairs of well‐defined reversible peaks were observed, while for the electrode of EPPG, the peak potential separation (ΔE_p) is obviously larger than the theoretical value of 59 mV, hinting that the electrode of EPPG is distinguished from the commonly used electrode, consistent with the previous proposition that EPPG has many “defects”. To obtain an improved electrochemical response, multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified on the electrode of EPPG; the increased peak current and promoted peak potential separation not only proved the existence of “defects” in MWCNTs, but also supported that “creating active points” on an electrode is the main contribution of MWCNTs. Initiating the electrochemical research of Fc on the MWCNTs‐modified EPPG electrode in RTILs and verifying the presence of “defects” on both EPPG and MWCNTs using cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of Fc obtained in RTILs of EMIBF₄, is the main contribution of this preliminary work.     

Electrocatalytic Reduction of H2O2 and Oxygen on the Surface of Thionin Incorporated onto MWCNTs Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode: Application to Glucose Detection

A new H₂O₂ enzymeless sensor has been fabricated by incorporation of thionin onto multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode. First 50 μL of acetone solution containing dispersed MWCNTs was pipetted onto the surface of GC electrode, then, after solvent evaporations, the MWCNTs modified GC electrode was immersed into an aqueous solution of thionin (electroless deposition) for a short period of time <5–50 s. The adsorbed thin film of thionin was found to facilitate the reduction of hydrogen peroxide in the absence of peroxidase enzyme. Also the modified electrode shows excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction at reduced overpotential. The rotating modified electrode shows excellent analytical performance for amperometric determination of hydrogen peroxide, at reduced overpotentials. Typical calibration at ?0.3 V vs. reference electrode, Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl, shows a detection limit of 0.38 μM, a sensitivity of 11.5 nA/μM and a liner range from 20 μM to 3.0 mM of hydrogen peroxide. The glucose biosensor was fabricated by covering a thin film of sol–gel composite containing glucose oxides on the surface of thionin/MWCNTs modified GC electrode. The biosensor can be used successfully for selective detection of glucose based on the decreasing of cathodic peak current of oxygen. The detection limit, sensitivity and liner calibration rang were 1 μM, 18.3 μA/mM and 10 μM–6.0 mM, respectively. In addition biosensor can reach 90% of steady currents in about 3.0 s and interference effect of the electroactive existing species (ascorbic acid–uric acid and acetaminophen) is eliminated. The usefulness of biosensor for direct glucose quantification in human blood serum matrix is also discussed. This sensor can be used as an amperometric detector for monitoring oxidase based biosensors.     

Synergistic effect of thermoplastic phenolic resin and multiwalled carbon nanotubes on the crystallization of polyoxymethylene

To reduce the crystallization rate of polyoxymethylene (POM) to meet the requirement of thick-walled and large-sized articles production, and maintain high crystallinity as well as obtain refined crystalline grains to ensure the strength and stiffness simultaneously, thermoplastic phenolic resin (PF) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as crystal growth inhibitor and nucleating agent, respectively, and their effects on the crystallization of POM were studied in details. The results showed that PF is an effective inhibitor and MWCNTs exhibits excellent nucleation effect on POM. Based on the obtained results, their synergistic influences on the crystallization process of POM were investigated. It is found that the objective of decreasing the crystallization rate while maintaining high crystallinity and forming fine crystalline grains can be realized. The 97/3/1 wt% POM/PF/MWCNTs, compared with those of neat POM, The T _c shifts by 3.3°C to a lower temperature, the crystallization enthalpy increases by 16.1 J/g and the full width at half-maximum widens by 48.5%. The modulation effect of PF and MWCNTs on the crystallization is closely related to the PF content and dispersion, the distribution and dispersion of MWCNTs in the PF and POM phases.     

Novel Potentiometric Solid-contact Electrode for the Determination of Fe2+ Ions via MWCNTs-Gemifloxacin Composite

A novel electrode was fabricated for the quantitation of Fe²⁺ ion. It was based on the covalent attachment of the gemifloxacin molecule (the recognition element) to the surface of MWCNTs to be incorporated as an electroactive material. Linear response of Fe²⁺ ions was found in the concentration range of 1×10⁻² mol L⁻¹ to 1×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ with a Nernstian slope of 30.37 ±0.3 (mV/decade) and attained a stable response within 5 s. The sensor exhibited LOD value of 4.8×10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. It was applied in the monitoring of Fe²⁺ concentration in multi-vitamins tablets, tap water and milk samples with acceptable recovery ranged from 94.00 % to 102.00 %.     

Synergistic Catalytic Acceleration of MXene/MWCNTs as Decorating Materials for Ultrasensitive Detection of Morphine

Ti₃C₂T_X MXene was synthesized by exfoliating pristine Ti₃AlC₂ phase with hydrofluoric acid. The simple methods of mechanical mixing and drop-casting of Ti₃C₂T_X and MWCNTs were carried out to prepare sensing electrode of Ti₃C₂T_X/MWCNTs/GCE. The composite and topography, especially the surface functional groups of Ti₃C₂T_X/MWCNTs were analyzed by XRD, SEM, FTIR, XPS, and Raman spectrum. The results turned out that Ti₃C₂T_X was characteristic by accordion-like 2D nanostructure with the surfaces terminated with −OH, −F, and =O. When combining with acid pretreated, the interaction between the functional groups of Ti₃C₂T_X and MWCNTs facilitated the convenience and reproducibility of the robust modified electrodes and could make Ti₃C₂T_X/MWCNTs/GCE possess good synergistic catalytic acceleration by increasing the electron transfer efficiency as well as adsorption and aggregation of MOP analyte onto the electrode surface. Versatile electrochemical measurements of CV, DPV and EIS were used to investigate the electrochemical performance of Ti₃C₂T_X/MWCNTs/GCE sensing platform. The linear detection range is 0.01–100 μM with the limit of detection of 0.0092 μM (S/N=3). The sensor has good stability, repeatability, reproducibility and anti-interference. In the detection of serum and urine samples, it has a good recovery rate.     

Preparation of modified multi‐walled carbon nanotubes as a reinforcement for epoxy shape‐memory polymer composites

Effectively improving the mechanical properties and thermal resistance of epoxy shape‐memory polymers (ESMPs) without affecting their shape‐memory performance is necessary to expand these polymers in practical applications. In this article, modified multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared and used as efficient reinforcement for enhancing the comprehensive properties of ESMPs. Increases of nearly 289% to 444% for impact strength and 112% to 184% for tensile force were obtained by adding only 0.1 to 1 wt% epoxy‐modified MWCNTs. The addition of unmodified and carboxyl‐modified MWCNTs was also investigated but showed less impact on the mechanical properties of the ESMPs than epoxy‐modified MWCNTs. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) showed that less than 1 wt% modified MWCNTs can enhance the heat resistance of ESMPs greatly. Although the shape recovery time for composite materials increased upon adding the MWCNTs, the entire recovery time was still less than 1 minute, and the shape recovery rate was relatively high, nearly 100%.     

EMI shielding and dynamic mechanical analysis of graphene oxide-carbon nanotube-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene hybrid composites

Carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene and their hybrid have been studied extensively. Despite having excellent properties of CNTs and graphene have not yet been fully realized in the polymer composites. During fabrication agglomeration of CNTs and restacking of graphene is a serious concern that results in the degradation of properties of nanomaterials into the final composites. To improve the dispersion of CNTs and restacking graphene, in the present research work, we focused on the hybridization of graphene oxide and CNTs. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), functionalized carbon nanotubes (FCNTs), and graphene oxide-carbon nanotubes (GCNTs) reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) composites were prepared separately by vacuum filtration followed by hot compression molding. Further, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties of ABS composites reinforced carbon nanofillers were investigated. The dynamic mechanical properties of polymers strongly depend on the adhesion of fillers and polymer, entanglement density of polymer chains in the presence of carbon fillers. The dynamic mechanical characteristics such as storage, loss modulus, and damping factor of prepared composites were significantly affected by the incorporation of MWCNTs, FCNTs, and GCNTs. Maximum EMI shielding effectiveness of −49.6 dB was achieved for GCNT-ABS composites which were highest compared to MWCNTs-ABS composites (−38.6 dB) and FCNTs-ABS composites (−36.7 dB) in the Ku band (12.4–18 GHz). These results depict the great potential of GCNTs-ABS composites to be used in various applications of efficient heat dissipative EMI shielding materials for electronic devices.     

多壁碳纳米管QuEChERS/气相色谱-质谱联用法快速检测黄芪中16种农药

建立了QuEChERS/气相色谱-质谱联用法(GC-MS)同时测定黄芪中α-六六六、β+γ-六六六、δ-六六六、五氯硝基苯、p,p′-滴滴伊、o,p′-滴滴涕、p,p′-滴滴滴、p,p′-滴滴涕、甲霜灵、二嗪磷、七氯、嘧菌环胺、腐霉利、顺式氯丹、反式氯丹、咯菌腈16种农药残留的分析方法。样品前处理采用改进的QuEChERS方法,黄芪粉加水浸润后,乙腈涡旋振荡提取,多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)、正丙基乙二胺(PSA)、MgSO_4净化,结合GC-MS检测系统,电子轰击源(EI),HP-5ms毛细管柱分离,程序升温,离子扫描模式(SIM)检测。在优化条件下,16种农药在0.01～5.0 mg/L质量浓度范围内线性关系良好,相关系数不低于0.974,方法的定量下限(S/N=10)为0.002～0.035 mg/kg,平均回收率为71.9%～115%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为1.2%～14%。该方法具有操作简单快捷、灵敏度高等优点。