Electroreduction of molecular oxygen on carbon electrode modified by dispersed silver

Silver particles are formed by electrochemical deposition on the carbon electrode surface. It is found that the deposition process occurs according to the progressive nucleation mechanism, which results in formation of silver particles with the size of 95 to 190 nm as dependent on the electrodeposition time. The values of silver particle size and support surface coverage by metal obtained on the basis of microphotographs indicate that cathodic polarization in the presence of dissolved oxygen results in particle size redistribution due to the reaction of silver particle dissolution with further deposition simultaneously with oxygen electroreduction. The reaction of molecular oxygen electroreduction on a carbon electrode with deposited dispersed silver occurs via a mixed two- and four-electron mechanism. The observed limiting reaction current is of diffusion nature.     

A renewable bamboo carbon/polyaniline composite for a high-performance supercapacitor electrode material

A high-performance conducting polymer-activated carbon composite electrode material was prepared by potentiostatic deposition of aniline on a hierarchically porous carbon, which was carbonized from the natural bamboo. The obtained composite combined the contribution of the unique properties of the activated carbon and pseudocapacitance of the deposited polyaniline layer. This active material possessed excellent rate capability and good cycle performance, over 92% of the original capacitance is retained after 1,000 cycles. The energy density of the composite can reach 47.5 W h kg⁻¹ calculated only by active mass. It can be a good candidate for high-performance supercapacitor.     

Bienzymatic amperometric biosensor for glucose based on polypyrrole/ceramic carbon as electrode material

A novel amperometric biosensor utilizing two enzymes, glucose oxidase (GOD) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), was developed for the cathodic detection of glucose. The glucose biosensor was constructed by electrochemical formation of a polypyrrole (PPy) membrane in the presence of GOD on the surface of a HRP-modified sol-gel derived-mediated ceramic carbon electrode. Ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FCA) was used as mediator to transfer electron between enzyme and electrode. In the hetero-bilayer configuration of electrode, all enzymes were well immobilized in electrode matrices and showed favorable enzymatic activities. The amperometric detection of glucose was carried out at +0.16 V (versus saturated calomel reference electrode (SCE)) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.9) with a linear response range between 8.0×10⁻⁵ and 1.3×10⁻³ M glucose. The biosensor showed a good suppression of interference in the amperometric detection.     

Pomegranate rind-derived activated carbon as electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors

In this paper, activated carbon materials were synthesized from pomegranate rind through carbonization and alkaline activation processes. The effects of pyrolytic temperature on the textual properties and electrochemical performance were investigated. The surface area of the activated carbon can reach at least 2200 m² g^?1 at different pyrolytic temperatures. It was found that, at the range of 600–900 °C, decreasing the carbonization temperature leads to the increase of t-plot micropore area, t-plot micropore volume, and capacitance. Further decreasing the carbonization temperature to 500 °C also leads to the increase of t-plot micropore area and t-plot micropore volume, but the capacitance is slightly poorer. The activated carbon carbonized at 600 °C and activated at 800 °C possesses very high specific area (2931 m² g^?1) and exhibits very high capacitance (～268 F g^?1 at 0.1 A g^?1 and ～242 F g^?1 at 1 A g^?1). There is no capacitance fading after 2000th cycle.     

A novel carbon electrode material for highly improved EDLC performance

Porous materials, developed by grafting functional groups through chemical surface modification with a surfactant, represent an innovative concept in energy storage. This work reports, in detail, the first practical realization of a novel carbon electrode based on grafting of vinyltrimethoxysilane (vtmos) functional group for energy storage in electric double layer capacitor (EDLC). Surface modification with surfactant vtmos enhances the hydrophobisation of activated carbon and the affinity toward propylene carbonate (PC) solvent, which improves the wettability of activated carbon in the electrolyte solution based on PC solvent, resulting in not only a lower resistance to the transport of electrolyte ions within micropores of activated carbon but also more usable surface area for the formation of electric double layer, and accordingly, higher specific capacitance, energy density, and power capability available from the capacitor based on modified carbon. Especially, the effects from surface modification become superior at higher discharge rate, at which much better EDLC performance (i.e., much higher energy density and power capability) has been achieved by the modified carbon, suggesting that the modified carbon is a novel and very promising electrode material of EDLC for large current applications where both high energy density and power capability are required.     

Effect of the electrode material on the oxygen reduction at the nonstoichiometric lanthanum fluoride/electrode interface

The voltammetry method with a linear potential scan is used for investigating the effect the electrode material (Ni, Co, electrodes on the basis of cobalt oxides modified with carbon) exerts on the reduction of gaseous oxygen at interfaces solid fluoride-conducting electrode LaF₃:Eu²⁺/electrode, O₂, and conjugated processes. Properties of the modified electrodes are characterized by the impedance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy methods. The oxygen reaction is irreversible at the LaF₃:Eu²⁺|Ni (or Co) interfaces. At the interface of LaF₃:Eu²⁺ with modified electrodes Co (C n at %), where n = 5 and 9, mobile forms of oxygen are reversible and the reduction of gaseous and chemisorbed oxygen is controlled by diffusion with different effective kinetic parameters.     

The preparation and performance of flocculent polyaniline/carbon nanotubes composite electrode material for supercapacitors

Polyaniline (PANI)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite electrode material was prepared by in situ chemical polymerization. The structure and morphology of PANI/CNTs composite are characterized by Fourier infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscopy. It has been found that a flocculent PANI was uniformly deposited on the surface of CNTs. The supercapacitive behaviors of the PANI/CNTs composite materials are investigated with cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, impedance, and cycle life measurements. The results show that the PANI/CNTs composite electrodes have higher specific capacitances than CNT electrodes and better stability than the conducting polymers. The capacitance of PANI/CNTs composite electrode is as high as 837.6 F g⁻¹ measured by cyclic voltammetry at 1 mV s⁻¹. Besides, the capacitance retention of coin supercapacitors remained 68.0% after 3,000 cycles.     

Ultra-small Co/CoOx nanoparticles dispersed on N-doped carbon nanosheets for highly efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

In this paper,we report a facile strategy to synthesize Co-BDC-NH2 material,which is used as a precursor towards an excellent OER electrocatalyst by thermal annealing in nitrogen.Ultra-small Co/Co Oxnanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the rhombus N-doped carbon(NC)nanoflakes.Transmission electron microscopic,X-ray diffraction spectrometric,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses revealed the coexistence of metallic Co and Co oxides nanoparticles.It was found that Co/CoO_x@NC obtained at 500℃ annealing temperature exhibited the highest electrocatalytic OER activity,with 307 and375 m V overpotential to achieve 10 and 100 m A cm^-2 current densities.Besides,thanks to the in-situ annealing process,Co/CoO_x@NC showed excellent catalytic stability with 97.4%current density retention after 24 h electrolysis at 1.66 V vs.RHE electrode potential.Further investigations revealed that the ultrasmall Co/Co Oxnanoparticles distributed on N-doped carbon template contribute significantly towards OER electrocatalysis through enlarging the activity surface areas and enhancing the intrinsic electrochemical activity due to the presence of metallic Co.     

Cotton-derived oxygen/sulfur co-doped hard carbon as advanced anode material for potassium-ion batteries

Hard carbon is regarded as promising anode materials for potassium-ion batteries(KIBs)owing to their low price and easy availability.However,the limited rate capability still needs to be improved.Herein,we demonstrate the fabrication of oxygen/sulfur co-doped hard carbon through a facile hydrolyzationsulfuration process of skimmed cotton.The simultaneous dopants significantly improve potassium ion diffusion rate.When served as the anode for KIBs,this hydrolyzed hard carbon delivered a high reversible capacity(409 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g),superior rate capability(135 mAh/g at 2 A/g)and excellent cyclability(about 120 mAh/g overt 500 cycles at 2 A/g).This work provides a facile strategy to prepare low-cost doped-hard carbon with superior potassium storage property.     

Atomically dispersed Fe sites on hierarchically porous carbon nanoplates for oxygen reduction reaction

Developing cost-effective,robust and stable non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) is of paramount importance for electrochemical energy conversion devices such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries.Although Fe-N-C single atom catalysts(SACs) have been hailed as the most promising candidate due to the optimal binding strength of ORR intermediates on the Fe-N₄ sites,they suffer from serious mass transport limitations as microporous templates/substrates,i.e.,zeo...     

A hyaluronic acid dispersed carbon nanotube electrode used for a mediatorless NADH sensing and biosensing

A biocompatible nanocomposite consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in a hyaluronic acid (HA) was investigated as a sensing platform for a mediatorless electrochemical detection of NADH. The device was characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and extensively by electrochemistry. CNT-HA bionanocomposite showed more reversible electrochemistry, higher short-term stability of NADH sensing and higher selectivity of NADH detection compared to frequently used CNT-CHI (chitosan) modified GCE. Finally the performance of the sensor modified by CNT-HA was tested in a batch and flow injection analysis (FIA) mode of operation with basic characteristics revealed. The NADH sensor exhibits a good long-term operational stability (95% of the original sensitivity after 22 h of continuous operation). Subsequently a d-sorbitol biosensor based on such a nanoscale built interface was prepared and characterised with a d-sorbitol dehydrogenase used as a biocatalyst.     

Glassy carbon as electrode material in electro- analytical chemistry

The review is based on a literature search through Chemical Abstracts and the Science Citation Index. The topics covered are: chemical and electrochemical aspects of the glassy carbon/electrolyte interface for both aqueous solutions and non-aqueous electrolytes; analytical applications of glassy carbon electrodes, including voltammetry, stripping voltammetry, amperometry coulometry, potentiometry and chronopotentiometry; flow-through detectors; chemically modified glassy carbon electrodes; electrosynthesis; and pretreatment techniques.     

A general strategy via photoelectrocatalytic oxygen reduction for generating singlet oxygen with carbon bridged carbon-nitride electrode

With the ever-growing demand of clean water for the healthy world, water purification has become an urgent global issue. Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) as unique non-radical derivative of oxygen, possessing unoccupied π* orbital and exhibiting high selectivity towards electron-rich organic pollutants. Nevertheless, most of the approaches suffer from low-efficiency or biotoxicity, which severely restrict their potential applications. Therefore, in this work, we propose a general strategy via photoelectrocatalytic for selectively reducing oxygen to ¹O₂ with designed carbon bridged carbon nitride (CBCN). This work highlights the important role of synergistic photo-electro-catalytic effect for selectively generating the ¹O₂ via oxygen reduction pathway, which can be a promising way especially for degrading electron-rich pollutants.     

Mesopore-dominant porous carbon derived from bio-tars as an electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors

For the first time, toxic bio-tars collected from the gasification of pine sawdust are used as the precursor for activated carbons. Various types of activation agents including KOH, K₂CO₃, H₃PO₄ and ZnCl₂ were screened for obtaining superior activated carbons. When KOH was used as an activation agent, the obtained activated carbons exhibited high specific surface area and large mesopore volume. The activated carbons were further employed to be the electrode material of supercapacitors, and its specific capacitance reached up to 260 F g^?1 at 0.25 A g^?1 current density. Also, it showed an excellent rate performance from preserving a relatively high specific capacitance of 151 F g^?1 at 50 A g^?1. The assembled device also exhibited the good electrochemical stability with the capacity retention of 90% after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the maximum energy density of the activated carbons in organic electrolyte reached 17.8 Wh kg^?1.     

Is glassy carbon a really inert electrode material for the reduction of carbon–halogen bonds?

Dissociative electron transfer (DET) to various organic halides has been investigated at glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) in acetonitrile. It is shown that the surface composition of GCEs significantly affects the reduction peak potential of RX, an increase of the oxygen-to-carbon ratio apparently causing a positive shift of E_p. This catalytic effect depends on both GCE surface composition and DET mechanism, appreciable catalysis being observed only when the initial electron transfer plays a crucial role in the overall kinetics of the process. The highest observed peak potential difference is of the order of 0.1 V found for some alkyl halides undergoing a concerted DET.     

Composite MWCNT/carbon xerogel-nafion electrode for energy storage

In this paper, we report the preparation and characterization (morphological, structural, surface, and electrochemical) of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/carbon xerogel (CX) electrodes prepared by mixing. This research proposes the hypothesis that the use of a hydrophilic binder (nafion) and the use of MWCNTs enhance electrode capacitance and conductivity. Electrochemical measurements in 2 M NaCl solution were performed. The advantage of adding multiwalled carbon nanotubes to the array of xerogel-nafion was studied through different electrochemical methods. It was validated that the greater carbon nanotube mesoporosity allows less compaction of the electrode, thus effectively increasing the specific area and therefore capacitance. Furthermore, we observed the increase in electronic conductivity reported in numerous studies, a fact that is true for iR drop measurement cycles in both galvanostatic charging and discharging. The carbon composite proved to be viable for energy storage.     

Persulfate treatment as a method of modifying carbon electrode material for aqueous electrochemical capacitors

The activated carbon was modified by the wet method with a solution of ammonium persulfate at room temperature with different times. Kinetics studies showed that the modification took place mostly during the first 60 min of the process. The physicochemical properties of the obtained carbon were evaluated by thermogravimetric studies, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, elementary and BET analyses. Furthermore, the fabricated material was applied in symmetric capacitors operated on the three aqueous electrolytes (1 M H₂SO₄, 6 M KOH and 1 M Na₂SO₄). Mild conditions of the modification process are optimal to obtain electroactive groups on the carbon surface, which make this material useful in a supercapacitor application. In our studies, we noticed that this type of functional groups mainly appears on the surface of the activated carbon, in the first oxidation stage. With prolonged oxidation, they may transform into undesirable groups. The results show that this kind of modification improves the capacity of all the tested supercapacitors. It was connected mainly with an increase of the carbon material’s wettability and in the case of capacitor operated in acid and base electrolytes due to a redox reaction of oxygen functional groups.

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Graphical abstract Persulfate treatment of carbon material.

     

Thiomorpholine-functionalized nanoporous mesopore as a sensing material for Cd2+ carbon paste electrode

A new thiomorpholine-functionalized nanoporous mesopore Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 (MCM-41), abbreviated as TMMCM-41, was synthesized and applied as a sensing material in construction of a cadmium carbon paste electrode. The electrode composition of 20.1%wt TMMCM-41, 54.0% graphite powder, 25.9% paraffin oil showed the stable potential response to Cd²⁺ ions with the Nernstian slope of 28.6 mV decade^?1 (±1.8 mV decade^?1) over a wide linear concentration range of 10^?6 to 10^?2?mol L^?1 with a detection limit of 6?×?10^?7 mol L^?1. The electrode has fast response time and long-term stability (more than 4 months). The proposed electrode was used to determine the concentration of cadmium in tap water contaminated by this metal and cadmium electroplating waste water samples.     

Highly dispersed sulfur in multi-walled carbon nanotubes for lithium/sulfur battery

A facile method is developed for homogeneous dispersion of sulfur (S) nanoparticles in multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The process involves the modification of MWCNTs via oxidation catalyzed by acid and the introduction of sulfur nanoparticles into the MWCNTs through direct precipitation. The resulting sample (precipitated S/MWCNTs) is characterized with scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, and its performance as cathode of lithium/sulfur battery is investigated with a comparison of the sample prepared by ball-milling (ball-milling S/MWCNTs). It is found that the precipitated S/MWCNTs exhibit better battery performance than the ball-milling S/MWCNTs. The initial discharge capacity is 1,299 mA?h?g^?1 for the precipitated S/MWCNTs but only 839 mA?h?g^?1 for ball-milling S/MWCNTs at 0.02 C. The capacity remains 800 mA?h?g^?1 for the precipitated S/MWCNTs but only 620 mA?h?g^?1 for ball-milling S/MWCNTs at 0.05 C after 50 cycles. The better performance of the precipitated S/MWCNTs results from the improved uniformity of S dispersed in MWCNTs through precipitation.     

Voltammetric behavior and ion chromatographic detection of nitrite at a dispersed platinum glassy carbon electrode

Cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the electrochemical behavior of nitrite at a platinum-modified glassy carbon electrode (Pt-CME) in phosphate buffer (pH 4.5). Experiments in flow injection analysis and ion-chromatography (IC) were performed to characterize the electrode as an amperometric sensor for the determination of nitrite ions. The effects of several common interferences on the amperometric signal were estimated. The electrode stability, precision, limit of detection, and linear range were evaluated at a constant applied potential of 1.1 V. Calibration plots were linear from 0.03 μM to 0.5 mM with a slope of about 21 μA/mM and a correlation coefficient of 0.9987. The limit of detection (LOD) was 15 nM (0.7 ppb) in a 100 μL injection. The electrode response was sufficiently stable: over 6 h of operating time a 2.8% signal loss was observed. The determination of nitrite in milk and pear juices was achieved by IC and the relevant results were compared with those obtained with a standard spectrophotometric method.