Study on the anodic reaction of Ni in an alkaline solution by transient pH detection based on scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM)

The anodic reaction of Ni in an alkaline solution was studied by the tip–substrate voltammetry mode of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). A platinum microdisc electrode was selected as the tip electrode, which functioned as a pH sensor with transient response capability. The pH value of the solution near the Ni electrode surface varied while the Ni substrate oxidation reaction occurred, and the pH variation could be detected by the tip faradic current. The cyclic voltammogram results showed that two types of hydroxides: i.e. α‐Ni(OH)₂ and β‐Ni(OH)₂ were formed during Ni oxidation in the lower potential region. In the proceedings of α‐Ni(OH)₂ → γ‐NiOOH and β‐Ni(OH)₂ → β‐NiOOH, the process of OH^? concentration decrease in the solution was ahead and behind of electron transfer in the solid phase, respectively. These results indicate that the OH^? adsorption process occurs as an elementary step in the former reaction and the H⁺ diffusion process from the inner to the outer layer of the solid phase occurs as a subsequent step in the latter reaction. The results also revealed that the oxide film on the Ni surface has a two‐layer structure. The real potential of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on the Ni surface with different cycles is also analyzed in the paper. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Studies on the Electrochemical Characteristics of K2FeO4 Electrode

Discharge performance of K2FeO4 electrode under different conditions was studied by the constant electric current discharge method. The electrochemical characteristics of K2FeO4 electrode were investigated for the first time by means of cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the K2FeO4 electrode made at moderate pressure (20MPa) and discharged at lower current has better discharge performance. It is also found that K2FeO4 electrode is significantly rechargeable.     

The influence of the sacrificial anode nature on the mechanism of electrochemical arylation and alkylation of white phosphorus

The material of the sacrificial anode has a substantial effect on the nature and yield of the target products of electrochemical phosphorylation of organic halides by white phosphorus in the presence of the nickel complexes with 2,2"-bipyridine. The use of the zinc anode results in the products with tricoordinated phosphorus, viz., triorganylphosphines, the reaction on the aluminum anode affords triorganylphosphine oxides, and the presence of Mg²⁺ ions in the reaction mixture provides the transformation of white phosphorus into cyclic phosphines (PhP)₅.     

Monitoring formation of poly(neutral red) film by EQCM

An electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) is employed for monitoring the growth of poly(neutral red) films on platinum in the electrolytic solution containing 5.0 mmol dm⁻³ neutral red, 0.3 mol dm⁻³ H₂SO₄, and 0.5 mol dm⁻³ Na₂SO₄. The in situ measurement of the frequency changes of the EQCM reveals that both the adsorption/desorption of neutral red and the formation of poly(neutral red) film can be observed together with anion sorption/desorption during the redox transformation of the polymer, and that the polymerization rate of neutral red increases slowly before the 11th cycle and then increases quickly with increasing number of potential cycles. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 284–289. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

微波合成铝掺杂钻酸锂材料及性能研究

以LiOH·H2O，Al2O3和Co3O4为原料，微波加热合成Li离子电池正极材料LiAlxCo（1-x）O2．通过XRD测试表征了不同Al加入量时合成产物的晶体结构，确定当x≤0．4时，产物为单一相层状结构．计算了不同x时LiAlxCo（1-x）O2的晶胞参数，随着x的增大，a值减小，c值增大．对合成LiAlxCo（1-x）O2样品进行DSC—TGA测试，结果表明，当x不同时，合成样品的热稳定性不同．SEM测试表明，合成晶体粒度较均匀，粒径在5μm左右．电化学测试表明，LiAl0.2Co0.8O2的电化学性能最好，首次循环放电容量为127mAh／g，多次循环容量损失率小于LiCoO2．     

A mini-review on MXenes as versatile substrate for advanced sensors

MXenes have emerged as versatile 2D materials that are already gaining paramount attention in the areas of energy,catalyst,electromagnetic shielding,and sensors.The unique surface chemistry,graphene-like mo rphology,high hydrophilicity,metal-like conductivity with redox capability identifies MXenes,as an ideal material for surface-related applications.This short review summarizes the most recent reports that discuss the potential application of MXenes and their hybrids as a transducer material for advanced sensors.Based on the nature of transducing signals,the discussion is categorized into three sections,which include electrochemical(bio) sensors,gas sensors,and finally,electro-chemiluminescence fluorescent sensors.The review provides a concise summary of all the analytical merits obtained subsequent to the use of MXenes,followed by endeavors that have been made to accentuate the future perspective of MXenes in sensor devices.     

Shot noise sets the limit of quantification in electrochemical measurements

Detection of single molecules, particles, and rapid redox events is a challenge of electrochemical investigations and requires either an amplification strategy or significant averaging for the electrochemical current to exceed the noise level. We consider the minimum number of electrons required to reach the limit of quantification in these electrochemical measurements. A survey of the literature indicates that the state-of-the-art limit in current detection for different types of measurements (e.g. voltammetry, single-molecule redox cycling, ion channel recordings of single molecules, metal nanoparticle collision, and phase nucleation) is independent of the nature of the measurement and increases linearly with reciprocal response time, Δt^?1, over ～5 orders of magnitude (from ～10 to ～10⁶ s^?1). We demonstrate that the practical limit of quantification requires cumulative measurement of ～2100 electrons during Δt and is determined by statistics of counting electrons, that is, the shot noise in the current.     

Functional Polyoxometalate Thin Films via Electrostatic Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly

Polyoxometalates (POMs) comprise a structurally diverse class of inorganic transition metal oxygen clusters which—owing to their unique electronic properties—hold promise for a host of technological applications such as electrochromic windows, sensors, or heterogeneous catalysts, prototypic examples of which will be briefly exemplified. The integration of POMs into functional architectures and devices, however, necessitates the development of general methods that allow positioning these clusters in well-defined supramolecular architectures, thin films, or mesophases. This short review highlights recent advances in the preparation of composite multilayers fabricated by electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly (ELSA) of POMs and a variety of water-soluble cationic species, including transition metal complexes, cationic surfactants, polycations and bipolar pyridine.     

电化学方法获得具有表面增强拉曼活性镍电极的研究

利用纯电化学手段获得了具有较强表面增强拉曼活性的镍电极, 改进了原有的镍电极表面预处理方法. 结果表明, 在0.5 mol/L的NaClO4溶液中, 结合电化学阶跃技术和循环伏安技术, 可以得到合适的粗糙镍电极; 同时, 还得到了探针分子吡啶在该粗糙镍电极表面随电极电位变化的表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS), 此时谱峰强度获得了极大的增强; 还研究了粗糙镍电极的扫描电子显微镜(SEM)图像, 并估算出其SERS增强因子约为104, 此结果比以前的镍电极表面粗糙方法所能达到的增强因子高一个数量级.     

Vanadium Doped Sol-Gel TiO2 Coatings

A study of the experimental conditions required to obtain vanadium doped sol-gel TiO2 coatings is presented. Tetraethyl orthotitanate was employed as the TiO2 source and VCl3, VOSO4 · H2O and VOSO4 dissolved H2SO4 where employed as vanadium sources.Dip coating has been used to produce coatings on silicon wafers, spectral carbon electrodes and titanium electrodes. Both supported and unsupported films have been studied by UV-Vis spectra, IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The measurements have been made on samples as prepared and treated thermally at temperatures between 100°C and 300°C. The thermal treatment temperatures have been established from DTA/TGA measurements.The vanadium doped sol-gel TiO2 coatings have been tested as sensors for redox potential measurements in electrochemical processes. The influence of both the thickness of films and the nature of substrate has been investigated.