Raman spectroscopy of active-carbon electrodes when Au colloids are placed at the electrolyte/electrode interface

Abstract

In the past, when Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) were placed just above (but not included in) active carbon (A-C) electrodes, a 10-fold amplification of gravitational specific capacitance were demonstrated, despite the small mass-ratio between the AuNPs and A-C; a ratio of 1:5000. We use surface enhance Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in further studying this system. Supercapacitors are volumetric elements while SERS is a surface interrogating method, whose signal could be impacted by many factors, including local colloid's preferential points (hot spots). Here, we use the ratio between the D- and G-lines of the A-C electrode, ID/IG, as a marker to eliminate the surface inconsistencies. At some concentration levels of AuNPs, the A-C Raman signature shows a clear preference towards the 1600 cm-1 vibration mode (G-line). Following that point, the cell exhibits a large specific capacitance