17 research outputs found
Simplest Prussian-blue deposition from ferric ferricyanide solution by a reducing Ag spot put onto an ITO substrate
Prussian-blue (PB) film for electro-chromism can be electro-deposited on to an electrode (usually tin-doped indium oxide/glass) either directly from a PB colloid or from ferric ferricyanide in a two-electrode electro-chemical cell by applying a reductive potential. Alternatively, a āsacrificialā electron-producing silver flag electrode in the solution, when connected to the PB-receiving electrode, can effect the required reductive deposition. A silver spot, here innovatively applied as silver paint directly onto the deposition electrode, produces PB film on immersion in the iron(III)(III) solution, obviating the separate counter-electrode method
The direct electrochemistry of ferritin compared with the direct electrochemistry of nanoparticulate hydrous ferric oxide
Horse spleen ferritin is a naturally occurring iron storage protein, consisting of a
protein shell encapsulating a hydrous ferric oxide core about 8 nm in diameter. It is
known from prior work that the protein can be adsorbed onto the surface of tin-doped
indium oxide (ITO) electrodes, where it undergoes voltammetric reduction at about
ā0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl. This is accompanied by dissolution of Fe(II) through channels in
the protein shell. In the present work, it is demonstrated that a pre-wave at about ā0.4
V vs Ag/AgCl is due to the reduction of FePO4 also present inside the protein shell.
In order to prove that the pre-wave was due to the reduction of FePO4, it was first
necessary to prepare 8 nm diameter hydrous ferric oxide nanoparticles without protein
shells, adsorb them onto ITO electrodes, and then study their electrochemistry.
Having achieved that, it was then necessary to establish that their behaviour was
analogous to that of ferritin. This was achieved in several ways, but principally by
noting that the same electrochemical reduction reactions occurred at negative
potentials, accompanied by the dissolution of Fe(II). Finally, by switching to aqueous
phosphate buffer, the pre-wave could be unambiguously identified as the reduction of
FePO4 present as a thin layer on the hydrous ferric oxide nanoparticle surfaces.
Although the bare and protein-coated hydrous ferric oxide nanoparticles were found
to behave identically toward electrochemical reduction, they nevertheless reacted very
differently towards H2O2. The bare nanoparticles acted as potent electrocatalysts for
both the oxidation and the reduction of H2O2, whereas the horse spleen ferritin had a
much lesser effect. It seems likely therefore that the protein shell in ferritin blocks the
formation of key intermediates in hydrogen peroxide decomposition
Electrochemical reactivity of TiO2 nanoparticles adsorbed onto boron-doped diamond
TiO2 (anatase) nanoparticles of ca. 6ā10 nm diameter are adsorbed from acidic aqueous solution onto polycrystalline industrially polished boron-doped diamond electrode surfaces. After immobilisation at the electrode surface, TiO2 nanoparticles are imaged in vacuum by electron microscopy (FEGSEM) and when immersed in a liquid film of aqueous 12 M LiCl by in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). Mono-layer films of TiO2 particles are studied voltammetrically in different electrolyte media.
Boron-doped diamond as an inert substrate material allows the reduction of TiO2 particles in phosphate buffer solution to be studied and two distinct steps in the reductionāprotonation process are identified: (i) a broad reduction signal associated with the binding of an outer layer of protons and (ii) a sharper second reduction signal associated with the binding of an inner (or deeper) layer of protons. Voltammetric experiments in aqueous 0.1 M NaClO4 with variable amounts of HClO4 suggest that the reduction of TiO2 particles is consistent with the formation of Ti(III) surface sites and accompanied by the adsorption of protons. Saturation occurs and the total amount of surface sites can be determined. Preliminary data for electron transfer processes at the reduced TiO2 surface such as the dihydrogen evolution process and the two-electronātwo-proton reduction of maleic acid to succinic acid are discussed
Underpotential surface reduction of mesoporous CeO2 nanoparticle films
The formation of variable-thickness CeO2 nanoparticle mesoporous films from a colloidal nanoparticle solution (approximately 1ā3-nm-diameter CeO2) is demonstrated using a layer-by-layer deposition process with small organic binder molecules such as cyclohexanehexacarboxylate and phytate. Film growth is characterised by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray scattering and quartz crystal microbalance techniques. The surface electrochemistry of CeO2 films before and after calcination at 500 Ā°C in air is investigated. A well-defined Ce(IV/III) redox process confined to the oxide surface is observed. Beyond a threshold potential, a new phosphate phase, presumably CePO4, is formed during electrochemical reduction of CeO2 in aqueous phosphate buffer solution. The voltammetric signal is sensitive to (1) thermal pre-treatment, (2) film thickness, (3) phosphate concentration and (4) pH. The reversible āunderpotential reductionā of CeO2 is demonstrated at potentials positive of the threshold. A transition occurs from the reversible āunderpotential regionā in which no phosphate phase is formed to the irreversible āoverpotential regionā in which the formation of the cerium(III) phosphate phase is observed. The experimental results are rationalised based on surface reactivity and nucleation effects
Aerosol-assisted CVD of bismuth vanadate thin films and their photoelectrochemical properties
Thin film bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) photoelectrodes are prepared by aerosol-assisted (AA)CVD for the first time on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates. The BiVO4 photoelectrodes are characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and are found to consist of phase-pure monoclinic BiVO4. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis shows that the thin film is uniform with a porous structure, and consists of particles approximately 75-125nm in diameter. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of the BiVO4 photoelectrodes are studied in aqueous 1M Na2SO4 and show photocurrent densities of 0.4mAcm-2, and a maximum incident-photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 19% at 1.23V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). BiVO4 photoelectrodes prepared by this method are thus highly promising for use in PEC water-splitting cells. Thin film bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) photoelectrodes are prepared by AACVD for the first time on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of the BiVO4 photoelectrodes are studied in aqueous 1M Na2SO4 and show photocurrent densities of 0.4mAcm-2 and a maximum incident-photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 19% at 1.23V vs. RHE. BiVO4 photoelectrodes prepared by this method are highly promising for use in PEC water-splitting cells
Detection and Characterization of Liquid|Solid and Liquid|Liquid|Solid Interfacial Gradients of Water Nanodroplets in Wet <i>N</i>āOctyl-2-Pyrrolidone
We
report on the rotational diffusion dynamics and fluorescence
lifetime of lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl chloride (LRSC) in two
thin-film experimental configurations. These are liquid|solid interfaces,
where <i>N</i>-octyl-2-pyrrolidone (NOP) containing water
and ethylene glycol (EG) thin films are each supported on glass, and
a liquid|liquid|solid interface where thin films of water and NOP,
both supported on glass, are in contact with one another, forming
an NOP|water interface. The reorientation dynamics and fluorescence
lifetime of LRSC are measured as a function of distance from the NOP|glass
and EG|glass interfaces and from the NOP|water and NOP|glass interfaces
in the liquid|liquid|solid experimental configuration. Fluorescence
anisotropy decay data from the liquid|solid systems reveal a liquid
film depth-dependent gradient spanning tens of micrometers from the
NOP|glass interface into the wet NOP phase, while this gradient is
absent in EG. We interpret these findings in the context of a compositional
gradient in the NOP phase. The spatially resolved fluorescence lifetime
and anisotropy decay data for an NOP|water|glass interfacial structure
exhibits the absence of a gradient in the anisotropy decay profile
normal to the NOP|water interface and the presence of a fluorescence
lifetime gradient as a function of distance from the NOP|water interface.
The compositional heterogeneity for both interfacial systems is in
the form of water nanodroplets in the NOP phase. We understand this
compositional gradient in the context of the relative surface energies
of the water, NOP, and glass components
Xylose- and Nucleoside-Based Polymers via Thiolāene Polymerization toward Sugar-Derived Solid Polymer Electrolytes
A series of copolymers
have been prepared via thiolāene
polymerization of bioderived Ī±,Ļ-unsaturated diene monomers
with dithiols toward application as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs)
for Li+-ion conduction. Amorphous polyesters and polyethers
with low Tgās (ā31 to ā11
Ā°C) were first prepared from xylose-based monomers (with varying
lengths of fatty acid moiety) and 2,2ā²-(ethylenedioxy)diethanethiol
(EDT). Cross-linking by incorporation of a trifunctional monomer also
produced a series of SPEs with ionic conductivities up to 2.2 Ć
10ā5 S cmā1 at 60 Ā°C and
electrochemical stability up to 5.08 V, a significant improvement
over previous xylose-derived materials. Furthermore, a series of copolymers
bearing nucleoside moieties were prepared to exploit the complementary
base-pairing interaction of nucleobases. Flexible, transparent, and
reprocessable SPE films were thus prepared with improved ionic conductivity
(up to 1.5 Ć 10ā4 S cmā1 at
60 Ā°C), hydrolytic degradability, and potential self-healing
capabilities
Xylose- and Nucleoside-Based Polymers via Thiolāene Polymerization toward Sugar-Derived Solid Polymer Electrolytes
A series of copolymers
have been prepared via thiolāene
polymerization of bioderived Ī±,Ļ-unsaturated diene monomers
with dithiols toward application as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs)
for Li+-ion conduction. Amorphous polyesters and polyethers
with low Tgās (ā31 to ā11
Ā°C) were first prepared from xylose-based monomers (with varying
lengths of fatty acid moiety) and 2,2ā²-(ethylenedioxy)diethanethiol
(EDT). Cross-linking by incorporation of a trifunctional monomer also
produced a series of SPEs with ionic conductivities up to 2.2 Ć
10ā5 S cmā1 at 60 Ā°C and
electrochemical stability up to 5.08 V, a significant improvement
over previous xylose-derived materials. Furthermore, a series of copolymers
bearing nucleoside moieties were prepared to exploit the complementary
base-pairing interaction of nucleobases. Flexible, transparent, and
reprocessable SPE films were thus prepared with improved ionic conductivity
(up to 1.5 Ć 10ā4 S cmā1 at
60 Ā°C), hydrolytic degradability, and potential self-healing
capabilities
Mesoporous TiO2 carboxymethyl-gamma-cyclodextrate multi-layer host films: effects on adsorption and electrochemistry of 1,1 '-ferrocenedimethanol
TiO2 (anatase) nanoparticles are readily deposited layer-by-layer in the form of thin films with a carboxymethyl-Ī³-cyclodextrate binder. Electron microscopy, voltammetric, and quartz crystal microbalance data demonstrate that the film grows homogeneously and is electrically connected to the ITO electrode surface. 1,1'-Ferrocenedimethanol is employed as an adsorbing redox system to study the voltammetric characteristics of the mesoporous host film. The binding constants for the homogeneous complexation of 1,1'-ferrocenedimethanol with carboxymethyl-Ī³-cyclodextrin at pH 7, Kred = 1300 Ā± 200 Mā1, and at pH 2, Kred = 1000 Ā± 200 Mā1, are determined assuming 1 : 1 complex formation. In the presence of the TiO2 carboxymethyl-Ī³-cyclodextrate films, solution phase voltammetric responses are affected due to a lower rate of diffusion of 1,1'-ferrocenedimethanol across the film (possibly due to binding to receptor sites) and due to slow electron transfer at pH 7 but not at pH 2. The TiO2 carboxymethyl-Ī³-cyclodextrate modified electrode, when dipped into 1,1'-ferrocenedimethanol containing solution, rinsed, and transferred into clean buffer solution, shows characteristic signals for adsorbed 1,1'-ferrocenedimethanol, consistent with weak binding and fast release upon oxidation. There is evidence for two distinct binding sites for 1,1'-ferrocenedimethanol both at pH 7 and at pH 2
Electrochemical properties of core-shell TiCāTiO2 nanoparticle films immobilized at ITO electrode surfaces
Titanium carbide (TiC) nanoparticles are readily deposited onto tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) electrodes in the form of thin porous films. The nanoparticle deposits are electrically highly conducting and electrochemically active. In aqueous media (at pH 7) and at applied potentials positive of 0.3 V vs. SCE partial anodic surface oxidation and formation (at least in part) of novel core-shell TiC-TiO2 nanoparticles is observed. Significant thermal oxidation of TiC nanoparticles by heating in air occurs at a temperature of 250 oC and is leading first to core-shell TiC-TiO2 nanoparticles, next at ca. 350 oC to TiO2 (anatase), and finally at temperature higher than 750 oC to TiO2 (rutile).
Electrochemically and thermally partially oxidized TiC nanoparticles still remain very active and for some redox systems electrocatalytically active. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), temperature dependent XRD, quartz crystal microbalance, and voltammetric measurements are reported. The electrocatalytic properties of the core-shell TiC-TiO2 nanoparticulate films are surveyed for the oxidation of hydroquinone, ascorbic acid, and dopamine in aqueous buffer media. In TiC-TiO2 core-shell nanoparticle films TiO2 surface reactivity can be combined with TiC conductivity