Study of the initial stage of manganese dioxide electrodeposition on a rotating ring-disk electrode

The initial stage of electrodeposition of manganese dioxide has been studied on the platinum disk electrode and on the ring-disk electrode. Two current maxima were observed on the anodic voltammograms. It has been shown that the first rise in the current is associated with the formation of manganese dioxide (MD) nuclei on the electrode surface, and the second with their growth at the border between MnO₂ and bare platinum due to an increase in the perimeter of the nuclei. Electrodeposition on bare platinum proceeds at a higher rate than on the surface of growing MD. This is explained by the difference in the reaction mechanisms on these substrates. The first stage of the process on the growing MD is the chemisorption of Mn(II) ions with the formation of Mn(III) ions, which are then electrochemically oxidized to MD. Chemisorption is the slowest step in the whole process.     

Dually Electroactive Disulfide‐Confined Aryldiazonium Salt Used as a Linker Molecule for Preparing Immunosensor Platforms

A new electroactive disulfide‐confined aryl diazonium (DSAD) salt was synthesized and used as a linker for biomolecules immobilization to prepare two kinds of immunoassay platforms. DSAD was electrodeposited on ITO electrode surfaces by cyclic voltammetry. Disulfide group of DSAD attached on the surfaces were electrochemically oxidized into thiosulfinate or thiosulfonate groups. For the first work, a detection of rabbit antigen was performed on ITO microelectrodes array by spatially‐selective approach. In the second work, DSAD was deposited on electrochemically reduced graphene oxide‐modified ITO surfaces, which were used as a platform for electrochemical sandwich immunoassay for detecting mouse antigen.     

Cu2O/CuO Electrocatalyst for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol

Herein, we report the controlled and direct fabrication of Cu₂O/CuO thin film on the conductive nickel foam using electrodeposition route for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to methanol. The electrocatalytic reduction was performed in CO₂ saturated aqueous solution consisting of KHCO₃, pyridine and HCl at room temperature. CO₂ reduction was carried out at a constant potential of −1.3 V for 120 min to study the electrochemical performance of the prepared electrocatalysts. Cu₂O/CuO shows better electrocatalytic activity with highest current density of 46 mA/cm². The prepared catalyst can be an efficient and selective electrode for the production of methanol.     

在FTO导电玻璃上电化学沉积高效可见光光电化学分解水Cu2O/g-C3N4异质结膜

近几十年来,光电化学分解水制氢作为一种洁净的、能持续利用太阳能的技术受到极大关注.在众多光催化材料中,p型半导体氧化亚铜(Cu2O)被认为是最有前途的可见光光电分解水材料之一.理论上,它的光能转换为氢能的效率可达到18.7%.然而,目前所报道的Cu2O光转换效率远远低于此值;同时,纯Cu2O在光照条件下的稳定性较差.研究表明,Cu2O与其它半导体复合可以增强其光电转换效率和提高稳定性.如Cu2O和能带匹配的石墨相氮化碳(g-C3N4)复合后,光催化性能和稳定性都有较大提高.但目前所报道的Cu2O/g-C3N4复合物几乎都是粉末状催化剂,不便于回收和重复使用.本文首先采用电化学方法在FTO导电玻璃上沉积Cu2O薄膜,采用溶胶凝胶法制备g-C3N4纳米颗粒材料,然后采用电化学法在Cu2O薄膜表面沉积一层g-C3N4纳米颗粒,得到了Cu2O/g-C3N4异质结膜.分别利用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、紫外可见光谱(UV-Vis)和光电化学分解水实验分析了Cu2O/g-C3N4异质结的组成结构、表面形貌、光吸收性能及催化剂活性和稳定性.XRD和HRTEM表征显示,本文成功合成了Cu2O/g-C3N4异质结材料,SEM图表明g-C3N4纳米颗粒在Cu2O表面分布均匀,大小均一.可见光光电化学分解水结果显示,异质结薄膜的光电化学性能比纯的Cu2O和g-C3N4薄膜材料有极大提高.当在Cu2O表面沉积g-C3N4的时间为15 s时,得到样品Cu2O/g-C3N4-15异质结膜,其在–0.4 V和可见光照射条件下,光电流密度达到了–1.38 mA/cm2,分别是纯Cu2O和g-C3N4薄膜材料的19.7和6.3倍.产氢速率也达到了0.48 mL h–1 cm–2,且产氢和产氧的速率之比约为2,说明此异质结材料在可见光作用下能全分解水.经过三次循环实验,光电化学分解水的效率仅降低10.8%,表明该材料具有良好的稳定性.根据UV-Vis表征和光电化学性能对比,Cu2O/g-C3N4-15的光电性能最好,但其光吸收性能并不是最好,说明光电化学性能与光吸收不是成正比关系,主要是由于Cu2O和g-C3N4两个半导体相互起到了协同作用.机理分析表明,Cu2O/g-C3N4异质结薄膜在光照下,由于两者能带匹配,Cu2O的光生电子从其导带转移到g-C3N4的导带上,g-C3N4价带上的空隙转移到Cu2O的价带上,从而降低了光生电子和空隙的复合,提高了其光催化性能.由于g-C3N4的导带位置高于H2O(或H+)还原为H2的电势,Cu2O的价带位置低于H2O(或OH–)还原为O2的电势,所以在外加–0.4 V偏压和可见光照射条件下,Cu2O/g-C3N4能全分解水,光生载流子越多,光电化学分解水的速率越大.综上所述,在Cu2O薄膜上沉积g-C3N4后得到的异质结薄膜具有高效的光能转换为氢能性能.     

Ni-Al layered double hydroxides electrodeposition from a chloride solution

Ni-Al LDHs was electrodeposited from a NiCl₂-AlCl₃ solution. In order to analyze the electrodeposition process, electrolytes with initial Al content range of 0–20% were used. With increasing Al content in the sample, the preferred orientations of (0 0 3) and (0 0 6), increased crystallinity, and decreased interlayer spacing were observed from the XRD results. A dissolution–recrystallization of (0 0 3) plane was detected among the Ni-Al LDHs from the strongly alkaline solution soaking results, which was found to be conducted easily in high Al-containing samples. The pH of the Al-containing electrolyte was much lower than that of pure NiCl₂ solution because lower pH was needed to start a precipitation reaction in the AlCl₃-NiCl₂ solution. The electrodeposition yield and current efficiency were found to decrease obviously in the electrolytes with initial Al content higher than 10%, which was attributed to the increasing Al content in the sample and diffusion of the complex ions. The electrodeposition pattern was in-situ in the electrolyte initially containing 10% Al, then, it developed toward and off in-situ in electrolytes initially containing 0–10% and 10–20% Al.     

Grey relational analysis for optimization of wear parameters and surface roughness on nano composite coating

The higher wear resistance of Ni based nano composite coatings makes them potential replacement in protecting the substrate materials. The role of surface roughness of the coating along with wear parameters on the specific wear rate, pin temperature, and COF are addressed in the present study. The use of hard nano Al₂O₃ particles found significant role in increasing the resistance to wear for Ni matrix coatings on Al6061 material. The resistance to dislocation offered by these nano Al₂O₃ particles and smear out of debris with plastic deformation indicated abrasive and adhesive nature of wear mechanism in combination. The optimization of wear parameters are carried out by surface response method based grey relation analysis. The normal load applied onto the pin has significant influence on the specific wear rate and temperature rise in the pin. The surface roughness of the coating has also found instrumental in the higher pin temperature and friction coefficient.     

电沉积制备的PtNi纳米粒子用于氧还原反应:成核和生长机理

质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFCs)电堆中阴极Pt基催化剂的高用量造成其成本居高不下,成为阻碍燃料电池汽车商业化推进的重要原因,因此开发低Pt、高活性的Pt基催化剂势在必行.Pt合金催化剂能够有效地降低Pt用量,并通过对合金颗粒的元素比例、晶面、粒径等实行精确调控,显著提升氧还原(ORR)催化活性.然而,目前常用的制备方法由于原料与制备成本高昂、过程复杂大都难以适应规模化生产需求.电化学方法通过控制施加的电流或电位控制晶体生长.在水体系中该方法已得到验证,但由于Pt化合物的热力学标准电极电位与过渡金属元素之间相差较大,且对于过渡金属来说,电负性大多小于铂,因此还原电位通常负于析氢电位,使得二者难以实现共沉积.有机体系中电位窗口比水体系大得多,Pt与电位较负的过渡金属可实现共沉积,采用小分子有机溶剂也可避免溶剂清洗问题,具有应用潜力.本文提出了一种简单的一步电沉积方法,选择易溶于水的N,N-二甲基甲酰胺(DMF)作为溶剂,将碳载体滴涂到玻碳电极上作为工作电极,通过电化学方法直接将Pt-Ni合金沉积到碳载体上,并利用物化表征与密度泛函理论(DFT)理论计算来探究共沉积机理.透射电镜表征结果表明,在不同的沉积电位下均可得到分散均匀、粒径适当的催化剂;且随着电位值降低,催化剂颗粒分散得更均匀,颗粒粒径不断减小.元素分布和晶面结果表明,铂镍元素均匀分布于颗粒中.所有样品均表现出优异的ORR性能,最高的面积比活性达到商业催化剂的6.85倍.将材料表征、电化学表征与DFT计算结合,建立起了铂镍合金生长过程的模型,并发现了有机体系中独特的成核-生长机理.将体系中的DMF换成超纯水,用同样的方法进行沉积,得到的催化剂颗粒团聚严重,说明DMF的使用能够避免颗粒团聚.在单独铂的体系中沉积发现,负载量极小,表明体系中镍前驱体的添加对于催化剂的沉积过程起到重要作用.电化学表征结果表明,在所选用的DMF有机体系中,镍的还原电位与铂的十分接近,但还原动力学更慢,趋向于先形成吸附原子后快速还原.由此可以推测,在二者合金的形成过程中,镍在碳载体表面的缓慢还原而形成的吸附原子能够成为铂还原的活性位点,从而降低了铂还原成核所需的能量,使得载体上的成核位点大大增加,这与DFT模拟结果一致.DFT建立了碳上镍的位点和铂的位点,分别在上面进行铂的还原,发现镍位点上比铂位点上更容易实现铂沉积.本文提出了铂镍共沉积的机理:在过电位(即还原能量)下,铂的还原动力学较镍稍快,于是铂先还原形成晶核,但难以达到生长的临界半径,于是单独铂体系中的沉积负载量很少.载体上还原的镍为铂还原提供了大量的活性位点,促进了铂还原,并与镍共沉积.Pt-Ni表面则进一步促进了铂的沉积和颗粒的生长.综上,本文提出了一种用于制备铂合金催化剂的有机电沉积体系,实现了单分散的碳载铂镍合金催化剂的一步制备.随后,本文将材料表征、电化学表征与DFT计算相结合,建立起了有机体系中铂镍合金成核-生长过程的机理模型.     

The development of platinum-rhodium alloy coatings on SS304 using a pulse/direct electrodeposition technique and their application to antibacterial activity

The current research focused on the development of Platinum–Rhodium alloy coating (Pt– Rh) on SS304 and its applications in antibacterial studies. Electrodeposition is considered to be one of the most suitable methods because it enhances the therapeutic effects of noble metals (Pt–Rh alloy). The electrodeposited coating is an economical and time-saving alternative to existing coating methods. The newly developed Pt–Rh coating was investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). Using the agar Petri plate and broth culture method, the antibacterial effect of the platinum-rhodium alloy was investigated against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus saprophytes, Bacillus Subtilis, and Enterococcus faecalis. The Pt–Rh alloy coated samples obtained by Direct current (DC) and Pulse coating (PC 50% and PC 75%) were examined for antibacterial study. The PC 75% Pt–Rh alloy coating exhibits significant antibacterial activity, demonstrating a maximum zone of inhibition while leaving the rest of the coated samples by DC and PC 50% duty cycles. The study also found that when the concentration of Pt–Rh solution rises from 5 μL to 15 μL, so does the antibacterial activity. The findings of the study showed that electrodeposited platinum-rhodium alloy metal ions may be handy bacteriostatic in the coming years.     

Electrodeposition of nanostructured catalysts for electrochemical energy conversion: Current trends and innovative strategies

This review discusses the latest advances in electrodeposition of nanostructured catalysts for electrochemical energy conversion: fuel cells, water splitting, and carbon dioxide electroreduction. The method excels at preparing efficient and durable nanostructured materials, such as nanoparticles, single atom clusters, hierarchical bifunctional combinations of hydroxides, selenides, phosphides, and so on. Yet, in most cases, chemical composition cannot be decoupled from catalyst morphology. This compromises the rational design of electrodeposition procedures because performance indicators depend on both morphology and surface chemistry. We expect electrodeposition will keep unraveling its potential as the preferred method for electrocatalyst synthesis once a deeper understanding of the electrochemical growth process is combined with complex chemistries to have control of the morphology and the surface composition of complex (bifunctional) electrocatalysts.     

A sensitive DNA biosensor based on a facile sulfamide coupling reaction for capture probe immobilization

A novel DNA biosensor was fabricated through a facile sulfamide coupling reaction. First, the versatile sulfonic dye molecule of 1-amino-2-naphthol-4-sulfonate (AN-SO₃⁻) was electrodeposited on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to form a steady and ordered AN-SO₃⁻ layer. Then the amino-terminated capture probe was covalently grafted to the surface of SO₃⁻-AN deposited GCE through the sulfamide coupling reaction between the amino groups in the probe DNA and the sulfonic groups in the AN-SO₃⁻. The step-by-step modification process was characterized by electrochemistry and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Using Ru(NH₃)₆³⁺ as probe, the probe density and the hybridization efficiency of the biosensor were determined to be 3.18 × 10¹³ strands cm⁻² and 86.5%, respectively. The hybridization performance of the biosensor was examined by differential pulse voltammetry using Co(phen)₃^3+/2+ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) as the indicator. The selectivity experiments showed that the biosensor presented distinguishable response after hybridization with the three-base mismatched, non-complementary and complementary sequences. Under the optimal conditions, the oxidation peak currents of Co(phen)₃^3+/2+ increased linearly with the logarithm values of the concentration of the complementary sequences in the range from 1.0 × 10⁻¹³ M to 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ M with a regression coefficient of 0.9961. The detection limit was estimated to be 7.2 × 10⁻¹⁴ M based on 3σ.