Electrooxidation of carbon monoxide and methanol on platinum-overlayer-coated gold nanoparticles: effects of film thickness

The electrooxidation of carbon monoxide and methanol on Pt-coated Au nanoparticles attached to 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane-modified indium tin oxide electrodes was examined as a function of Pt film thickness and Au particle coverage. For the electrodes with medium and high Au particle coverages, the CO stripping peak position shifts to more negative values with increasing Pt film thickness, from ca. 0.8 V (vs Ag/AgCl) at 1 ML to 0.45 V at 10 ML. Accompanying this peak potential shift is the sharpening of the peak width from more than 150 to 65 mV. For the electrode with low Au particle coverage, similar peak width narrowing was also observed, but the peak potential shift is much smaller, from 0.85 V at 1 ML of Pt to 0.65 V at 10 ML. These observations are compared with the CO oxidation on bulk Pt electrodes and on Pt films deposited on bulk Au electrodes. The film-thickness-dependent CO oxidation is explained by d band theory in terms of strain and ligand effects, the particle size effect, and the particle aggregation induced by Pt film growth. Corresponding to the increasing CO oxidation activity, the current density of methanol oxidation grows with the Pt film thickness. The peak potential and current density reach the same values as those obtained on a polycrystalline bulk Pt electrode when more than 4 ML of Pt is deposited on the Au particle electrodes with a particle coverage higher than 0.25. These results suggest that it is feasible to reduce Pt loading in methanol fuel cells by using Pt thin films as the anode catalyst.     

Electrochemical Investigation of Metal Oxide Conducting Electrodes for Direct Detection of Sulfide

This study examined the performance of four conducting metal oxide electrodes for the direct electrochemical analysis of sulfide; the electrode materials studied were indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) and gallium doped zinc oxide (GZO). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results obtained using the ITO, AZO, GZO and FTO electrodes showed direct electrooxidation peak potential of sulfide at 381, 507, 400, and 850 mV vs. Ag/AgCl, respectively; however, the less positive oxidation potential and high catalytic current response of the ITO electrode made it the electrode of choice for the direct oxidation of sulfide. The effects of different electrolytes and buffer solutions on the CV responses were also evaluated. A linear concentration range up to 350 µM and a detection limit of 8.0 µM were achieved. CV response was highly reproducible, remaining unaffected even after 50 measurements. The sensor was found to have good selectivity, with no interference from sulfite, sulfate or chloride ions. The present findings demonstrate that the bare ITO electrode can be used as the basis of an inexpensive, sensitive, selective and robust sulfide sensor.     

Comparison of metallic electrodes for constant-potential amperometric detection of carbohydrates,amino acids and related compounds in flow systems

Constant-potential amperometric detection of carbohydrates, amino acids, and other aliphatic organic compounds is possible by means of their oxidation in alkaline solution at a variety of metal/metal oxide electrodes including Pt, Au, Cu, Ni, Ag and Co. The experimental conditions required for optimum detection and the analytical performance obtainable vary widely for different electrode materials and analytes. In this work, the cyclic voltammetric behavior exhibited by selected analytes (glucose, glycine, lactic acid, ethylamine and ethanol) at each of these electrodes was used to determine the optimum potentials suitable for flow detection so that the capabilities of the different metal electrodes could be evaluated and systematically compared. In general, the Cu electrode was found to provide superior detection capabilities in terms of its range of response, detection limits and especially stability. Despite the fact that Pt and Au are typically used only with a pulsed applied potential, both can provide long-lived constant-potential detection of carbohydrates and other analytes at low concentrations if the potentials ere carefully chosen and the electrodes are allowed to undergo an initial stabilization period.     

Al Electrode Modified by Au Atoms as a Novel Electrode for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Thiosulfate

An aluminum electrode modified with gold atoms was introduced as a novel electrode. Gold atoms were deposited both chemically and electrochemically onto the aluminum electrode to make an aluminum/gold (Al/Au) modified electrode (ME). The experimental results showed that the Al/Au modified electrode prepared by chemical deposition, exhibits much more current than the electrochemical deposition method. The electrochemical behavior of the Al/Au modified electrode was studied by cyclic voltammometry. This modified electrode showed two pairs of peaks, a₁c₁ and a₂c₂, with surface‐confined characteristics in a 0.5 M phosphate buffer. The dependence of E_pa of the second peak (a₂c₂) on pH shows a Nernestian behavior with a slope of 55 mV per unit pH. The effect of different supporting electrolytes, solution's pH and different scan rates on electrochemical behavior of Al/Au modified electrode was studied. Au deposited electrochemically on a Pt electrode (Pt/Au) was also used as another modified electrode. A comparative study of electrochemical behavior of bare Al, Pt/Au and Al/Au modified electrodes showed that both Pt/Au and Al/Au electrodes have the ability of electrocatalytic oxidation of S₂O₃^2?, but the electrocatalytic oxidation on the latter was better than the former. The kinetics of the catalytic reaction was investigated by using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The average value of the rate constant for the catalytic reaction and the diffusion coefficient were evaluated by means of chronoamperometry technique.     

Thin metal films on quasicrystalline surfaces

Thin metal films with a thickness of one or over one monolayer formed on quasicrystalline surfaces were studied using reflection high-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. The substrates were the 10f surface of d-Al–Ni–Co and the 5f surface of i-Al–Pd–Mn. The metals deposited were Au, Pt, Ag and In. None of these metals forms any ordered layer by deposition onto clean quasicrystalline surfaces. However, if a submonolayer of In is present atop the 10f surface, an epitaxial layer of multiply-twinned AuAl₂ crystals is formed by Au deposition and subsequent annealing. This is also the case for Pt deposition, but not for Ag deposition. Although the surfactant effect of In is also observed in the case of Au deposition on the 5f surface of i-Al–Pd–Mn, the ordered layer formed is a film of Au–Al alloy with icosahedral symmetry. No ordered films are formed by Pt or Ag deposition onto the 5f surface, regardless of the presence of an In-precovered layer. A Sn film monolayer induced by surface diffusion was also studied.     

Monolithic integration of three-material microelectrodes for electrochemical detection on PMMA substrates

Monolithic integration of three-material microelectrodes for electrochemical detection on poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates is presented. Au–Ag–Pt three-material electrodes were all fabricated based on polymer compatible photolithography processes, and the fabrication sequence of the electrodes was optimized. The C–Ag–Pt three-electrode system was also demonstrated. To reduce the electrical resistance, the carbon electrode was made on a silver intermediate layer which was simultaneously fabricated with Ag electrodes. A PMMA/poly(dimethylsiloxane) electrochemical sensing microchip with the Au–Ag–Pt three-electrode systems was constructed. The reproducibility of the three-electrode system from single and different microchips was characterized. The performance of the microchip was evaluated by two kinds of electrochemical probes (Ru(bpy)₃Cl₂ and dopamine).     

Electrochemical-reduced graphene oxide-modified carbon fiber as Pt–Au nanoparticle support and its high efficient electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation

A simple electrochemical approach is developed to prepare reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-wrapped carbon fiber (CF) as a novel support for Pt–Au nanocatalysts. The obtained composite electrodes have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and electrochemical methods. SEM images reveal that the Pt–Au nanoparticles deposited on RGO-wrapped CF (RGO/CF) electrode display smaller particle size and more uniform dispersion than those on the bare CF electrode. Cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry, Tafel plots, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses demonstrate that the introduced RGO on CF electrode surface is beneficial to the dispersion of Pt–Au nanoparticles, as a consequence, to the enhancement of the electrocatalytic activity and the antipoisoning ability of Pt–Au towards formic acid electrooxidation.     

High dispersion Pt nanoparticles using mesoporous carbon support for enhancing conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells

<正>Mesoporous carbon(MC) with surface area of 380 m~2/g was prepared and employed as the carbon support of Pt catalyst for counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells.Pt/MC samples containing 1 wt%Pt were prepared by reducing chloroplatinic acid on MC using wet impregnation.It was found that Pt nanoparticles were uniform in size and highly dispersed on MC supports.The average size of Pt nanoparticles is about 3.4 nm.Pt/MC electrodes were fabricated by coating Pt/MC samples on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass.The overall conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells with Pt/MC counter electrode is 6.62%,which is higher than that of the cells with conventional Pt counter electrode in the same conditions.     

Br?nsted酸性离子液体活化电极催化制氢性能研究

分别采用玻碳( GC)、铂( Pt)和金( Au)电极研究了在Br?nsted酸性离子液体[ HMIm] HSO4中电解水制氢的催化活性,活性大小为Pt > Au >> GC。水中离子液体的含量对析氢电流影响很大,当[ HMIm] HSO4含量为30%(V/V)时,Pt电极催化电解水产氢的阈值电位高达-0.3 V (Ag丝为准参比电极, Ag QRE),在-0.5 V (Ag QRE)处电流密度高达110.52 mA/cm2,为相同条件下Au电极的15倍,GC电极的650倍。计算结果表明,Pt电极在该电解液中的反应活化能为5.68 kJ/mol。电极的高催化活性与[ HMIm] HSO4电离产生的质子有关,使水以H3 O+的形式捕集电子,效率更高。     

The Electrochemical Behavior and the Quantitative Determination of Nitrogen Dioxide at a Solid Polymer Electrolyte Supported Pt‐Au Electrode

The electrochemical behavior of NO₂ at Au/Nafion, Pt/Nafion and Pt‐Au/Nafion electrodes was investigated by using electrochemical and SEM methods, respectively. It was found that the Pt‐Au/Nafion electrode showed higher electrocatalytic activity than Pt/Nafion and Au/Nafion electrodes. The net current density of Au/Nafion electrode decayed significantly during the reaction, though it showed high initial value. Pt/Nafion and Pt‐Au/Nafion electrodes, on the contrary, showed good stability. A quantitative determination of NO₂ concentration was carried out at Pt‐Au/Nafion electrode and a satisfactory linear relationship was found for the NO₂ concentration in the range of 0–100 ppm.     

An iridium oxide reference electrode for use in microfabricated biosensors and biochips

In this paper we argue for the use of iridium oxide (IrO(x)) electrodes as quasi-reference electrodes in microfabricated biosensors and biochips that operate in buffered solutions. The simple microfabrication of these electrodes consists of a one-step electrodeposition of IrO(x) onto a microfabricated platinum (Pt) electrode. The IrO(x) electrode potential was found to vary less than 20 mV over 9 days after stabilization for 1 day in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution; this behavior of the electrode potential was found to be easily reproduced. Moreover, the electrode potential was found to vary by less than 15 mV in the initial hour of its use; this behavior of the electrode potential was also found to be reproducible. The performance of a microfabricated glucose sensor employing an IrO(x) reference electrode is characterized in this paper in order to evaluate the usefulness of this new IrO(x) electrode as a quasi-reference electrode. The glucose sensor consists of a recessed microfabricated Pt electrode array, an electrodeposited IrO(x) film, an inner layer composed of an electropolymerized poly(m-phenylenediamine)/glucose oxidase (PMPD/GOx) film, and an outer or protective layer composed of Teflon and polyurethane (PU) films. The response of this sensor was found to be equivalent to the response of the same sensor employing a commercial Ag/AgCl reference electrode. These results show that a microfabricated IrO(x) electrode can be used as a quasi-reference electrode in microfabricated biosensors and biochips operating in buffered solutions.     

Metal/metal sulfide functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes: FTO-free counter electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells

The use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) thin films to replace conventional fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and both FTO and platinum (Pt) as the counter electrode in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) requires surface modification due to high sheet resistance and charge transfer resistance. In this paper, we report a simple, solution-based method of preparing FTO-free counter electrodes based on metal (Pt) or metal sulfide (Co(8.4)S(8), Ni(3)S(2)) nanoparticles/CNT composite films to improve device performance. Based on electrochemical studies, the relative catalytic activity of the composite films was Pt > Co(8.4)S(8) > Ni(3)S(2). We achieved a maximum efficiency of 3.76% for the device with an FTO-free counter electrode (Pt/CNT). The device with an FTO- and Pt-free (CoS/CNT) counter electrode gives 3.13% efficiency.     

Adsorption of transition metal atoms on the NiO(100) surface and on NiO/Ag(100) thin films

We have studied the adsorption of Au, Pd, and Pt atoms on the NiO(100) surface and on NiO/Ag(100) thin films using plane wave DFT+U calculations. The scope of this work is to compare the adsorption properties of NiO, a reducible transition metal oxide, with those of MgO, a simple binary oxide with the same crystal structure and similar lattice parameter. At the same time, we are interested in the adsorption characteristics of NiO ultra-thin films (three atomic layers) deposited on Ag(100) single crystals. Also in this case the scope is to compare NiO/Ag(100) with the corresponding MgO/Ag(100) films which show unusual properties for the case of Au adsorption. The results show that the transition metal atoms bind in a similar way on NiO(100) and NiO/Ag(100) films, with Pt, Pd, and Au forming bonds of decreasing strength in this order. No charging effects occur for Au adsorbed on NiO/Ag(100) films, at variance with MgO/Ag(100). The reasons are analyzed in terms of work function of the metal/oxide interface. Possible ways to modify this property by growing alternate layers of MgO and NiO are discussed.     

High catalytic activity of nanostructured Pd thin films electrochemically deposited on polycrystalline Pt and Au substrates towards electro-oxidation of methanol

Nanostructured Pd thin films are directly formed on polycrystalline Pt and Au substrates in the absence of hard and soft templates by using a cyclic potential sweep technique, which is confirmed by both SEM observation and their unusual cyclic voltammetric characteristics in H₂SO₄ solution. Interestingly, the bimetallic electrodes obtained after the deposition of ultrathin Pd films onto Pt and Au substrates display much higher catalytic activity towards the electro-oxidation of methanol than the bulk Pt electrode. Besides, it is found that the foreign metal substrate has great influence on the electro-catalytic behavior of the Pd films.     

CO-sensing properties of undoped and doped tin oxide thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation

Undoped thin films of tin oxide and those doped with indium oxide and nickel oxides were deposited by electron beam evaporation. The effects of the film thickness and preparation conditions (films prepared with or without the presence of oxygen environment during deposition) on the optical and carbon monoxide sensing properties of the films were studied. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical spectroscopy techniques. All the films were found to be amorphous. It was found that the sensitivity of the films to CO increased with the thickness and the porosity of the films. It was found that their selectivity to CO gas relative to CO₂ and SO₂ gases could be improved upon doping the films with indium (or nickel) oxide.     

Lightweight ITO Electrodes Decorated with Gold Nanostructures for Electrochemical Applications

Gold nanostructures were fabricated on a transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) coated PET substrate by an electrodeposition technique from a potassium gold (III) chloride solution for two different types of applications. It was found that the optical transparency of lightweight ITO electrodes could be maintained by depositing isolated gold nanostructures while opening up the use of these electrodes for inner sphere electron reactions, such as hydroquinone oxidation, which are not possible at ITO electrodes. For practical applications the adhesion of gold to the ITO electrode was improved by modifying the ITO surface with 3‐mercaptopropyl‐trimethoxysilane (MPS). Compared to Au/ITO, the Au/MPS/ITO electrode showed vastly improved electrochemical activity toward various electron transfer reactions when subjected to mechanical stress. The biosensing properties of the Au/MPS/ITO electrode was also investigated by studying the detection of immobilized DNA on the Au/MPS/ITO electrode via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).     

Monolayer deposition of silver and copper onto platinum electrodes at non-equilibrium conditions

Ag and Cu were deposited in submonolayer amounts onto Pt electrodes at constant cathodic potentials within the hydrogen adsorption region. Rectangular pulses of Cu²⁺ or Ag⁺ fluxes to the Pt surface were generated by a Cu or Ag generator electrode using the twin electrode thin-layer technique. The analysis of the response currents of the Pt electrode yields in formation about the metal deposition process at non-equilibrium conditions. Cu and Ag were found to deposit directly as monolayers and not at random. The displacement of adsorbed hydrogen was measured as a function of the quantity of metal deposited.     

Investigation of Electrochemical Behavior of Some Dithiophosphonates in Acetonitrile on the Platinum and Gold Electrodes

Some dithiophosphonate derivatives were synthesized and the electrochemical reduction mechanism was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV) and chronoamperometry (CA) in 0.1 M tetrabutylammoniumtetrafluoroborate (TBATFB) in acetonitrile at platinum (Pt) and gold (Au) electrodes. Dithiophosphonates showed a cyclic voltammetric reduction peak at about ?1.1 V at Pt and ?1.3 V at Au electrode (vs. Ag/Ag⁺) in this media. It was also shown that dithiophosphonates can be determined quantitatively in acetonitrile using a calibration graph. The number of electrons transferred were calculated as 2 using ferrocene as a reference compound at the UME electrode. Mechanism of dithiophosphonates was also examined on Pt and Au electrodes and electrochemical reduction of dithiophosphonates seems to follow an EC mechanism with an irreversible electron transfer step. The reaction product in the bulk electrolysis experiment was isolated and identified using proton‐coupled P‐31 NMR, ¹³C‐NMR and IR spectroscopy. The adsorption tests for dithiophosphonates were revealed that no strong or weak adsorption phenomena exist on both Pt and Au electrodes. Simulation curves were acquired by DigiSim 3.03 version to investigate the reduction mechanism and to estimate the kinetic parameters for electrochemical and chemical steps.     

Adsorption characteristics of arylisocyanide on Au and Pt electrode surfaces: surface-enhanced Raman scattering study

It is very important to understand metal-molecule interface characteristics for the development of efficient molecular wires in molecular electronics. Because isocyanide is potentially a good alligator clip, we have investigated in this work the adsorption characteristics of 2,6-dimethylphenylisocyanide (DMPI) on Au and Pt electrodes by recording the potential-dependent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra. First of all, we confirmed that Pt nanoaggregate films were efficient SERS-active substrates, not only in ambient conditions, but also in electrochemical environments. Second, we confirmed that aryl isocyanide should adsorb on Au and Pt by forming exclusively metal-CN bonds, via a pure sigma type interaction in the case of gold compared with a sigma/pi synergistic interaction on Pt. This implies that DMPI should adsorb on Au only via the on-top site, whereas not only the on-top site, but also the 2-fold bridge and 3-fold hollow sites, could be used in the surface adsorption of DMPI on Pt. Despite these differences, DMPI was assumed to possess a vertical orientation with respect to the Au and Pt substrates, irrespective of the potential variation between +0.2 and -0.6 V relative to the Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The latter characteristics of the Au-CN and Pt-CN combinations are presumed to be useful in designing molecular-scale wires.     

A novel hydrogen peroxide sensor based on Ag nanoparticles electrodeposited on chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine-modified gold electrode

A novel strategy to fabricate a hydrogen peroxide sensor based on Ag nanoparticles electrodeposited on chitosan-graphene oxide nanocomposites/cysteamine-modified gold (Au) electrode was reported. The chitosan-graphene oxide nanocomposites were first assembled on a cysteamine-modified Au electrode to produce chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. Then Ag nanoparticles were electrodeposited on the modified Au electrode and formed Ag nanoparticles/chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. The chitosan-graphene oxide nanocomposites and the electrodeposited Ag nanoparticles were characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed the Ag nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. The cyclic voltammagrams and amperometric method were used to evaluate electrocatalytic properties of the Ag nanoparticles/chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. The results showed that the modified electrode displayed good electrocatalytic activity to the reduction of hydrogen peroxide with a detection limit of 0.7 μM hydrogen peroxide based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The sensor has good reproducibility, wide linear range, and long-term stability.