Microneedle array sensors based on carbon nanoparticle composites: interfacial chemistry and electroanalytical properties

Conductive microneedle patches consisting of carbon nanoparticles embedded in a polystyrene matrix have been prepared using micro-moulding techniques. The interfacial properties of the structures before and after electrochemical etching have been characterised using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle. Anodisation of the needles leads to a significant increase in oxygen functionality and is shown to dramatically improve the electroanalytical capabilities of the microneedle array. The detection of uric acid in horse blood was used as a model system through which to assess the performance of the system. The composite approach is shown to lead to viable carbon-based sensors and can offer a rapid prototype option for the development of tailored microneedle systems

Electroanalytical properties of chlorophenol red at disposable carbon electrodes: Implications for Escherichia coli detection

The use of coliforms and Escherichia coli as indicator species for assessing the quality of water is well established and a large variety of methods based on β-galactosidase (B-GAL) activity, inherent to the microbes within this classification, have arisen to enable their detection and enumeration. Chlorophenol red (CPR) is widely used as a chromogenic label, but its capacity for translation to electroanalytical devices has yet to be fully explored. The CPR moiety is capable of undergoing oxidation at carbon substrates (+0.7 V) giving rise to a variety of phenolic intermediates. Electrochemical, XPS and enzymatic techniques were employed to characterise the underpinning chemistry and the intermediate identified as a 1,2-quinone derivative in which the chlorine substituent is retained. The latter was found to accumulate at the electrode and, in contrast to the parent CPR, was found to be detected at a significantly less positive potential (+0.3 V). Bacterial hydrolysis of a CPR labelled substrate was demonstrated with the 1,2-quinone oxidation product found to accumulate at the electrode and detected using square wave voltammetry. Proof of concept for the efficacy of the alternative electrode pathway was established through the detection of E.coli after an incubation time of 2.5 h with no interference from the labelled substrates

Flexible Bifunctional Electrode for Alkaline Water Splitting with Long-Term Stability.

Publication status: PublishedProgress in electrochemical water-splitting devices as future renewable and clean energy systems requires the development of electrodes composed of efficient and earth-abundant bifunctional electrocatalysts. This study reveals a novel flexible and bifunctional electrode (NiO@CNTR) by hybridizing macroscopically assembled carbon nanotube ribbons (CNTRs) and atmospheric plasma-synthesized NiO quantum dots (QDs) with varied loadings to demonstrate bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for stable and efficient overall water-splitting (OWS) applications. Comparative studies on the effect of different electrolytes, e.g., acid and alkaline, reveal a strong preference for alkaline electrolytes for the developed NiO@CNTR electrode, suggesting its bifunctionality for both HER and OER activities. Our proposed NiO@CNTR electrode demonstrates significantly enhanced overall catalytic performance in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer cell configuration by assembling the same electrode materials as both the anode and the cathode, with a remarkable long-standing stability retaining ∼100% of the initial current after a 100 h long OWS run, which is attributed to the "synergistic coupling" between NiO QD catalysts and the CNTR matrix. Interestingly, the developed electrode exhibits a cell potential (E10) of only 1.81 V with significantly low NiO QD loading (83 μg/cm2) compared to other catalyst loading values reported in the literature. This study demonstrates a potential class of carbon-based electrodes with single-metal-based bifunctional catalysts that opens up a cost-effective and large-scale pathway for further development of catalysts and their loading engineering suitable for alkaline-based OWS applications and green hydrogen generation

Flexible bifunctional electrode for alkaline water splitting with long-term stability

Progress in electrochemical water-splitting devices as future renewable and clean energy systems requires the development of electrodes composed of efficient and earth-abundant bifunctional electrocatalysts. This study reveals a novel flexible and bifunctional electrode (NiO@CNTR) by hybridizing macroscopically assembled carbon nanotube ribbons (CNTRs) and atmospheric plasma-synthesized NiO quantum dots (QDs) with varied loadings to demonstrate bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for stable and efficient overall water-splitting (OWS) applications. Comparative studies on the effect of different electrolytes, e.g., acid and alkaline, reveal a strong preference for alkaline electrolytes for the developed NiO@CNTR electrode, suggesting its bifunctionality for both HER and OER activities. Our proposed NiO@CNTR electrode demonstrates significantly enhanced overall catalytic performance in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer cell configuration by assembling the same electrode materials as both the anode and the cathode, with a remarkable long-standing stability retaining ∼100% of the initial current after a 100 h long OWS run, which is attributed to the “synergistic coupling” between NiO QD catalysts and the CNTR matrix. Interestingly, the developed electrode exhibits a cell potential (E10) of only 1.81 V with significantly low NiO QD loading (83 μg/cm2) compared to other catalyst loading values reported in the literature. This study demonstrates a potential class of carbon-based electrodes with single-metal-based bifunctional catalysts that opens up a cost-effective and large-scale pathway for further development of catalysts and their loading engineering suitable for alkaline-based OWS applications and green hydrogen generation

Hybrid Plasma−Liquid Functionalisation for the Enhanced Stability of CNT Nanofluids for Application in Solar Energy Conversion

Macroscopic ribbon-like assemblies of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are functionalised using a simple direct-current-based plasma–liquid system, with oxygen and nitrogen functional groups being added. These modifications have been shown to reduce the contact angle of the ribbons, with the greatest reduction being from 84° to 35°. The ability to improve the wettability of the CNTs is of paramount importance for producing nanofluids, with relevance for a number of applications. Here, in particular, we investigate the efficacy of these samples as nanofluid additives for solar–thermal harvesting. Surface treatments by plasma-induced non-equilibrium electrochemistry are shown to enhance the stability of the nanofluids, allowing for full redispersion under simulated operating conditions. Furthermore, the enhanced dispersibility results in both a larger absorption coefficient and an improved thermal profile under solar simulation

Flexible Bifunctional Electrode for Alkaline Water Splitting with Long-Term Stability

Progress in electrochemical water-splitting devices as future renewable and clean energy systems requires the development of electrodes composed of efficient and earth-abundant bifunctional electrocatalysts. This study reveals a novel flexible and bifunctional electrode (NiO@CNTR) by hybridizing macroscopically assembled carbon nanotube ribbons (CNTRs) and atmospheric plasma-synthesized NiO quantum dots (QDs) with varied loadings to demonstrate bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for stable and efficient overall water-splitting (OWS) applications. Comparative studies on the effect of different electrolytes, e.g., acid and alkaline, reveal a strong preference for alkaline electrolytes for the developed NiO@CNTR electrode, suggesting its bifunctionality for both HER and OER activities. Our proposed NiO@CNTR electrode demonstrates significantly enhanced overall catalytic performance in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer cell configuration by assembling the same electrode materials as both the anode and the cathode, with a remarkable long-standing stability retaining ∼100% of the initial current after a 100 h long OWS run, which is attributed to the “synergistic coupling” between NiO QD catalysts and the CNTR matrix. Interestingly, the developed electrode exhibits a cell potential (E10) of only 1.81 V with significantly low NiO QD loading (83 μg/cm2) compared to other catalyst loading values reported in the literature. This study demonstrates a potential class of carbon-based electrodes with single-metal-based bifunctional catalysts that opens up a cost-effective and large-scale pathway for further development of catalysts and their loading engineering suitable for alkaline-based OWS applications and green hydrogen generation

Flexible Bifunctional Electrode for Alkaline Water Splitting with Long-Term Stability

Progress in electrochemical water-splitting devices as future renewable and clean energy systems requires the development of electrodes composed of efficient and earth-abundant bifunctional electrocatalysts. This study reveals a novel flexible and bifunctional electrode (NiO@CNTR) by hybridizing macroscopically assembled carbon nanotube ribbons (CNTRs) and atmospheric plasma-synthesized NiO quantum dots (QDs) with varied loadings to demonstrate bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for stable and efficient overall water-splitting (OWS) applications. Comparative studies on the effect of different electrolytes, e.g., acid and alkaline, reveal a strong preference for alkaline electrolytes for the developed NiO@CNTR electrode, suggesting its bifunctionality for both HER and OER activities. Our proposed NiO@CNTR electrode demonstrates significantly enhanced overall catalytic performance in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer cell configuration by assembling the same electrode materials as both the anode and the cathode, with a remarkable long-standing stability retaining ∼100% of the initial current after a 100 h long OWS run, which is attributed to the “synergistic coupling” between NiO QD catalysts and the CNTR matrix. Interestingly, the developed electrode exhibits a cell potential (E10) of only 1.81 V with significantly low NiO QD loading (83 μg/cm2) compared to other catalyst loading values reported in the literature. This study demonstrates a potential class of carbon-based electrodes with single-metal-based bifunctional catalysts that opens up a cost-effective and large-scale pathway for further development of catalysts and their loading engineering suitable for alkaline-based OWS applications and green hydrogen generation

Flexible Bifunctional Electrode for Alkaline Water Splitting with Long-Term Stability

Progress in electrochemical water-splitting devices as future renewable and clean energy systems requires the development of electrodes composed of efficient and earth-abundant bifunctional electrocatalysts. This study reveals a novel flexible and bifunctional electrode (NiO@CNTR) by hybridizing macroscopically assembled carbon nanotube ribbons (CNTRs) and atmospheric plasma-synthesized NiO quantum dots (QDs) with varied loadings to demonstrate bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for stable and efficient overall water-splitting (OWS) applications. Comparative studies on the effect of different electrolytes, e.g., acid and alkaline, reveal a strong preference for alkaline electrolytes for the developed NiO@CNTR electrode, suggesting its bifunctionality for both HER and OER activities. Our proposed NiO@CNTR electrode demonstrates significantly enhanced overall catalytic performance in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer cell configuration by assembling the same electrode materials as both the anode and the cathode, with a remarkable long-standing stability retaining ∼100% of the initial current after a 100 h long OWS run, which is attributed to the “synergistic coupling” between NiO QD catalysts and the CNTR matrix. Interestingly, the developed electrode exhibits a cell potential (E10) of only 1.81 V with significantly low NiO QD loading (83 μg/cm2) compared to other catalyst loading values reported in the literature. This study demonstrates a potential class of carbon-based electrodes with single-metal-based bifunctional catalysts that opens up a cost-effective and large-scale pathway for further development of catalysts and their loading engineering suitable for alkaline-based OWS applications and green hydrogen generation