Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Progresses In Electrocatalysis Of Nanomaterials—Tuning The Surface Structure And Property Of Electrocatalysts, Yan-Xia Jiang, Na Tian, Zhi-You Zhou, Sheng-Pei Chen, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The property of an electrocatalyst depends strongly on its surface structure.The study of surface structure-catalytic functionality is the base of design and preparation of electrocatalysts of high activity,high stability and high selectivity at microstructure level.In this paper,based mainly on our results concering hydrogen and oxygen adsorption-desorption,ethylene glycol oxidation and CO₂ reduction,the research progresses in tuning the surface structure and property of electrocatalysts are summarized.This paper overviews firstly the cyclic voltammetric characteristics,electrocatalytic properties of platinum single crystal planes lying on different crystallographic zones of the unit stereographic triangle of face-centered cubic(fcc) metals.Next,the innovation of electrochemical methods to control the surface …

Synthesis And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Ni-Pd/C Catalysts With Pd-Enriched Surface, Yu-Mei Chen, Zhi-Xiu Liang, Sheng-Li Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Ni-Pd alloy catalysts with Pd-enriched surface were synthesized through a modified polyol process.The synthesized materials were investigated by XRD and electrochemical methods,and tested as electrocatalysts for CH₃OH-tolerant oxygen reduction.The results indicated that the synthesized Ni-Pd nanoparticles possess multiple phases containing Pd-Ni alloy and pure Ni.Comparing with Pd/C,the prepared Ni-Pd/C nanoparticles exhibited better resolved voltammetric peaks between the hydrogen absorption and adsorption,and positively shifted current peaks for the reduction of Pd oxide.The prepared Ni-Pd alloys with Pd-enriched surface have significantly enhanced ORR activity and improved CH₃OH tolerance as comparing with Pd/C catalysts.

Complex Reduction Preparation Of Carbon Supported Pd Nanoparticle Catalyst And Its Electrocatalysis For Formic Acid Oxidation, Wei He, Yong-Yin Kang, Chong Du, Zhi-Qing Zou, Xiao-Gang Zhang, Hui Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A simple procedure involved the complexing of PdCl₂ with sodium citrate followed by ethylene glycol reduction has been employed for the preparation of carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles(Pd/C).The XRD and TEM characterizations indicate that Pd nanoparticles with a small particle size were well-dispersed on carbon support.The mean particle sizes of the Pd/C catalysts were found to be increased from 2.7 to 5.8 nm with heat-treatments at different temperature.The mass activity of the Pd/C catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation increased with the decrease in Pd particle size.However,the specific activity increased with Pd particle size.Furthermore,the Pd/C catalyst with a particle size of ca.3.6 …

Cyclic Voltammetric And In-Situ Ftir Spectroscopic Studies Of Adsorption And Reduction Of No On Electrode Of Pt Nanoparticles, Qian Cheng, Yan-Xia Jiang, Dong-Mei Zeng, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Adsorption and reduction of NO on electrode of Pt nanoparticles in acid solutions were studied by means of cyclic voltammetry(CV) and in-situ FTIR spectroscopy.The results indicated that the reduction of NO is a complicated process including the adsorption of NO on electrode surface.Two types of surface-bonded NO were determined on Pt nanoparticles.The weakly adsorbed NO was reduced between 0.6 V and-0.05 V,which yielded nitrous oxide(N₂O) and ammonium(NH₄⁺) as products;while the strongly bonded NO was reduced at more negative potentials between-0.05V and-0.15V,producing only NH₄⁺ species.

Preparation Of Pt Nanoflower/Zno Composites Arrays And Their Electrocatalysis For Methanol Oxidation, Li Gao, Yi-Feng E, Lou-Zhen Fan

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Pt nanoflower/ZnO(PtNF/ZnO) nanorod composites arrays were electrochemically prepared by controlling the hydrophobicity and the hydrophilicity of ZnO nanorods arrays.The Pt nanoflowers grew on the tip of ZnO nanorods,which maintain the vertical array of Zno nanorods with a high degree of size uniformity and high surface area.Compared with Pt nanoparticle covered ZnO nanorod arrays,which were prepared by controlling the hydrophilicities of ZnO nanorods and Pt nanoparticles,the PtNF/ZnO displayed highest electrocatalytic activities for the oxidation of methanol.

Enhanced Visible Light Photoelectrochemical Performances With Nitrogen Doped Tio2 Nanowire Arrays, Xiao-Jun Lv, Yue-Ming Li, Hao Zhang, Da Chen, Jennifer Hensel, Jin Z Zhang, Jing-Hong Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Self-organized anodic anatase TiO₂ nanowire arrays doped with nitrogen have been successfully fabri-cated and their photoelectrochemical(PEC) properties have been characterized and found to be substantially im-proved compared to undoped nanowires or commercial P25 nanoparticles.Photocurrent measured with monochro-matic incident light showed that the incident photon-to-current efficiency(IPCE,%) values of nanowire arrayelectrodes with or without N-doping were obviously higher than that of commercial P25 nanoparticle electrodes,and nitrogen-doped TiO₂ nanowire arrays(NTNA) had noticeable absorption in the visible region.The NTNAelectrodes showed the highest photocurrent density and power conversion efficiency under 100 mW/cm² visiblelight illumination.A maximumolphotoconversion efficiency of 0.52% was achieved for the …

A Systematic Study Of Atomic Layer Deposition Of Platinum Nano-Scale Metallization Films And Their Application To Electrical Contacts In Porous Alumina Templates, Ngoc H. Tran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

ln this thesis a comprehensive analysis is presented on nano-scale thin films of platinum deposited with Angstrom resolution by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology utilizing the Cambridge Nanotech Savannah 100 ALD system. Physical characterizations of film thickness, film morphology, and surface roughness of the deposited platinum were all performed before and after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and as a function of forming gas annealing (FGA). Noble metal thin films of platinum were deposited on four inch wafers of p-type boron doped &100& oriented silicon (Si) substrates. The ALD film thickness was measured with a novel method utilizing the linear dependence …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Sulfur-Carbonnanotubes As Cathode Of Lithium/Sulfur Rechargeable Battery, Rui Du, Zhong-Zhi Yuan

Journal of Electrochemistry

A carbon-containing composite was synthesized by heating element sulfur and carbon nanotubes. The sulfur-carbonnanotube composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. The electrochemical property was characterized by cyclic voltammetry,constant current charge and discharge. It was revealed that the sulfur-carbonnanotube cathode 2016-type coin cells exhibited a good electrochemical property with the initial dicharge specific capacity up to 680 mAh/g and a stable capacity approximately 500 mAh/g after 30 cycle numbers.

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Glucose On Cnt/Nanocrystlline Tio2-Pt Complex Film Electrode In Ionic Liquids, Dao-Bao Chu, Long-Wu Zha, Shu-Xi Wang, Jian Wang, Ying Xiao, Yuan-Yuan Hou, Jian-Guo He, Xue-Jiao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Using ionic liquid [EMI]BF₄ as the electrolyte,the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose on carbon nanotubes/nanocrystlline TiO₂ film loaded on Pt (CNT/nanoTiO₂-Pt) complex film electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The results found that the CNT/nanoTiO₂-Pt complex electrode had high catalytic activity to the electrochemical oxidation of glucose in ionic liquids and the oxidation potential was -0.46 V. The best effect of glucose oxidation was obtained with the volume ratio of ionic liquid to water being 3:1. The process of electrodic reaction process was concentration polarization controlled.

Modulated Nanopores Using Pulse Anodization On Thin Aluminum, Mahesh Babu Gunukula

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide has traditionally been made in one of two ways: "Mild Anodization (MA)" or "Hard Anodization (HA)". The former method produces self-ordered pore structures but it is slow and only works for a narrow range of processing conditions; the latter method, which is widely used in the aluminum industry, is faster but it produces films with disordered pore structures. Here we report a novel approach termed "pulse anodization" that combines the advantages of the MA and HA processes. By designing the pulse sequences it is possible to control both the composition and pore structure of the anodic …

Magnetic Sensors For Biodetection, Pranjali Vineet Sneha Deshpande

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objective of thesis is to design magnetic sensor for detection of nanoparticles. Recently integrating the standard laboratory techniques into integrated system on chip is growing attention. Recent development is to combine magnetic markers and magnetoresistive sensors together in magnetic chip. In this thesis two magnetoresistive sensors were studied and designed.

By applying magnetic fields, magnetic nanoparticles can be manipulated on-chip, which can be utilized to pull the molecules to specific binding sites or to test the binding strength and distinguish between specifically and non-specifically bound molecules

Magnetoresistive sensors are compatible with the semiconductor industry which provides electronic signal directly …

Patterning And Characterization Of Carbon Nanotubes Grown In A Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Chamber, Mauricio Kossler

Theses and Dissertations

This research studies the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNT) from a nickel catalyst to be used on a field emission device. This thesis can be divided into three sections: the construction of a vacuum chamber for field emission testing, the design and fabrication of a triode structure to enable improved electron emission, and the pretreatment and growth of CNTs. To experimentally test the field emission of CNTs, a vacuum chamber must attain a vacuum of at least 10^-5 torr. Our vacuum chamber designed and built achieved a maximum, final pressure of 10^-8 torr. A triode structure was designed …

Electrochemical Properties Of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes And Their Applications In Analysis Of 6-Mercaptopurine, Bao-Yi Lu, Yan-Yan Lai, Hong Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical behaviors and adsorption properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes such as SWNT,SWNT-COOH,and SWNT-OH and multi-walled carbon nanotubes including MWNT,MWNT-COOH,and MWNT-OH modified at a graphite electrode have been investigated by using [Fe(CN)₆]^3-anion and [Co(phen)₃]³⁺ cation.It was shown that shows good redox reversibility of [Fe(CN)₆]^3-/4-reactions on the existed carbon nanotubes(CNT) modified electrode.Based on the strong adsorptive property of [Co(phen)₃]³⁺ on the CNT surface,the [Co(phen)₃]³⁺/CNT modified graphite electrode can be obtained by progressive potential sweeping and developed to monitor quantitatively 6-mercaptopurine(6-MP).The adsorption capacity of …

Silicon Nanowires As Anode Materials For Lithium Ion Batteries, Yan-Peng Fu, Hui-Xin Chen, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The SiNWs electrodes were fabricated by coating and direct growth methods,respectively.The structure,morphology and electrochemical performance of such materials were characterized by XRD,SEM and charge-discharge tests.The results show that the electrodes prepared by direct growth method had higher capacity,better battery life and also displayed and excellent cyclability at higher currents.During the process of lithiation,the initial crystalline Si transformed to amorphous LixSi,and the average diameter of the SiNWs increased.Despite the large volume changed,the SiNWs remained intact and did not break into smaller particles.

Nano-Sn/Hard Carbon Composite As Anode Material For Lithium Ion Batteries, Bing-Kun Guo, Jie Shu, Kun Tang, Ying Bai, Zhao-Xiang Wang, Li-Quan Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The tin(Sn) nano particles were embedded into the mesopores of hard carbon spherules(HCS) to form a composite anode material for lithium ion batteries.The structure of the obtained composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) while its electrochemical performances were evaluated with galvanostatic cycling.It is found that the embedding Sn nanoparticles into porous HCS not only result in a composite material with high lithium storage capacity and capacity retention,but also increase the initial coulombic efficiency of the composite.Based on the infrared spectroscopic analysis,the enhanced initial coulombic efficiency is attributed to the inductive decomposition of the ROCO₂Li species in the solid …

Photoelectrochemical Properties Of Tio2 Nanoparticles, Jie Qu, Ying Li, Qi-Wei Jiang, Xue-Ping Gao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The protonated titanate nanoparticles were obtained at room temperature and subsequently calcined at different temperatures(300 ℃,400 ℃,500 ℃,600 ℃ and 700 ℃) in air.The obtained products were characterized by XRD,TEM and UV-Vis.It is found that the grain sizes of TiO₂ nanoparticles calcined at 300 ℃ were about 20 nm,and increased gradually with the temperature rise.Photoelectric performance was measured with I～V curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).The TiO₂ nanoparticles obtained at 500 ℃ showed the best photoelectrochemical properties with a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 6.39%,which is much higher than those at other temperatures.In addition,it is also demonstrated that the charge …

Synthesis,Characteristics And Electrochemical Performance Of Nano-Sized Snco/Graphite Composites As Anode For Lithium Ion Batteries, Jin-Shu Cai, Ling Huang, Fu-Sheng Ke, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nano-structural Sn-Co/graphite composites were prepared by chemical reduction of the alloy electroless deposition solution in graphite suspensions, and the composites were annealed at 500 ℃. The phase structure and surface morphology of the composites were measured by XRD, SEM and Raman. The results indicate that there were high dispersions and high loadings of Sn-Co nanoparticles on graphite by thermal treatment. Electrochemical lithium storage performance was studied preliminarily on the obtained samples. The graphite modified with the Sn-Co nanoparticles possessed a higher electrochemical reversible capacity than that of graphite during the charge and discharge process. The appetency between the Sn-Co …

High Utilization Aupt Nanoparticles Supported On Mwcnts For Methanol Electro-Oxidation In Alkaline Medium, Xun Guo, Dao-Jun Guo, Xin-Ping Qiu, Li-Quan Chen, Wen-Tao Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

We synthesized gold-platinum electrocatalysts supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) with high utilization by a simple one-step method.A high Pt loading series of bimetallic AuPt/MWCNTs catalysts were prepared by the improved ethylene glycol reduction method,and then were compared in terms of the electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation using cyclic voltammetry(CV) and chronoamperometry in alkaline solutions.The structure of AuPt/MWCNTs was characterized by the transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).The results showed that the AuPt/MWCNTs catalysts had high Pt utilization,uniform AuPt nanoparticles size and good electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation.The effect of Au/Pt mass ratio on electrocatalytic activity was also investigated.The …

A Study Of Cantilever-Free Instrumentation For Nanoscale Magnetic Measurements, Bruce Adair Altemus

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The evolution of the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) into the Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM) and Magnetic Resonance Force Microscope (MRFM) has had a substantial impact on the characterization of nanoscale phenomena. Detection of 10-17 Newtons per root Hertz has occurred with use of an ultra-sensitive cantilever along with optical interferometry methods within these geometries. The sensitivity of these platforms is dependent on the characteristics of the cantilever, where increased length and a low Young's modulus increase the force sensitivity (meters/Newtons). Using IC fabrication techniques, the realization of generating cantilevers with this sensitivity is feasible, but stress compensation layers are required …

A Study Of Cantilever-Free Instrumentation For Nanoscale Magnetic Measurements, Bruce Adair Altemus

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The evolution of the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) into the Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM) and Magnetic Resonance Force Microscope (MRFM) has had a substantial impact on the characterization of nanoscale phenomena. Detection of 10-17 Newtons per root Hertz has occurred with use of an ultra-sensitive cantilever along with optical interferometry methods within these geometries. The sensitivity of these platforms is dependent on the characteristics of the cantilever, where increased length and a low Young's modulus increase the force sensitivity (meters/Newtons). Using IC fabrication techniques, the realization of generating cantilevers with this sensitivity is feasible, but stress compensation layers are required …

Metal Induced Crystallization Of Silicon Thin Films, Sandeep Kumar Raju Sangaraju

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Low temperature crystallization of thin film silicon is important for many industrial applications including flat panel displays and silicon thin film solar cells. Unfortunately this remains a major challenge since crystallization temperature of silicon is above 1,000 degrees Celsius, thus limiting to substrates that can tolerate high temperatures. The inability to deposit crystalline thin films on glass substrates is the reason why flat panel display industry uses amorphous silicon for LCD active matrix displays. Thus the ability to deposit crystallized thin film silicon at low temperatures will have significant impact on thin film silicon applications. It has been observed that …

Spectroscopic Investigation Of Palladium-Copper Bimetallic Systems For Pem Fuel Cell Catalysts, Timo Hofmann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the main barriers to commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells systems is cost, which is largely due to the need of platinum (Pt)-containing catalysts. In this thesis we investigate bimetallic systems consisting of a base metal (copper) and a noble metal (palladium) that, as an alloy on the nanoscale, mimic the electronic properties that make Pt desirable as a catalyst.

We present a detailed investigation of the electronic structure of carbon-supported Pd/Cu nanoparticle catalysts, model bilayer thin film systems, alloys, and various metal reference samples. We have investigated the valence band structure of the catalysts using a …

Voltammetric Determination Of Iodate Ion In Table Salt By Carboxylic Carbon Nanotubes Modified Carbon Paste Electrode, Jun-Hua Li, Fu-Xing Zhang, Jian-Qiu Wang, Zhi-Feng Xu, Rong-Ying Zeng, Yan Yu

Journal of Electrochemistry

A highly-sensitive and mercury-free method of determining iodate ion in table salt was established based on carboxylic carbon nanotubes modified carbon paste electrode.In 0.1 mol/L NaOH solution,there was a sensitive cathodic stripping peak on voltammograms.The stripping peak potential was-0.52 V when accumulation time of IO-3 at the modified electrode was 60 s and the potential scan rate was 300 mV/s.There was a good liner relationship between the peak current and IO-3 concentration in the range of 8.0×10^-10 ～ 5.0×10^-8 mol/L and 1.0×10^-7 ～ 3.0×10^-6 mol/L with the correlation coefficient of 0.999 and 0.998,respectively.The detection limit was …

The Hydrothemal Synthesis Of Nanoscale Lifepo4 And Its Electrochemical Performance, Si-Min Wang, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode materials of LiFePO₄ were prepared via a hydrothermal reduction method using FeCl₃ as Fe source and iron as a reducing agent.The results showed that ferric salt could be reduced to ferrous salt completely under the hydrothermal condition and pure-phase LiFePO₄ was obtained based on the test results of XRD and FTIR. Carbon-coated LiFePO₄ was synthesized by pyrolysisng glucose at high temperature. The morphologies of pure LiFePO₄ displayed cluster-like while the LiFePO₄/C displayed sphere-like particles. The electrochemical test showed that the LiFePO₄/C had good rate performance,while LiFePO₄ delivered much …

Surface Pre-Treatments And Fabrication Of Highly Ordered Anodic Aluminum Oxide Nanopores At Room Temperature, Sampath Chennuri

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The object of this work is to develop a novel approach to fabricate model membranes of well-defined and well aligned nanostructured materials in a robust environment. The main focus is on electrochemical synthesis, involving anodic oxidation of high purity aluminum sheets to form porous oxide films. Alumina films were prepared by anodizing highly pure aluminum (99.999%) in acidic electrolytes. Anodization parameters (current density, temperature, applied voltage, anodization time and electrolyte concentration) were selected with respect to the electrolyte used.

The primary challenge in nanotechnology is the creation of nanometer-scaled objects with as narrow a size distribution as possible for a …

Electrochemical Synthesis, Characterization And Fluorescence Property Of Nano Na2Sif6, Guo-Xu Qin, Xin-Jun Wan, Xi-Mei Yuan, Dao-Bao Chu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nano TiO₂ film was prepared by sol-gel process and characterized with X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM).It was found that the average size of pore diameter was about 80 nm for the nano TiO₂ film.The Nano Na₂SiF₆ was synthesized by electrochemical deposition on the nanoporous film electrode and characterized with XRD and transmission electron microscope(TEM).The result showed that the average size of nanoparticle was 20 nm for the nano Na₂SiF₆.The fluorescence property of nano Na₂SiF₆ was also studied briefly.The result indicated that the nano Na₂SiF …

Design And Fabrication Of The High Efficient Platinum-Nanoporous Gold Catalysts, Zhao-Na Liu, Jin-Tao Zhang, Fang Tian, Peng-Peng Liu, Hou-Yi Ma, Yi Ding

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nanoporous gold(NPG) electrodes with uniform pore sizes and ligaments were prepared by using a simple dealloying method.The as-prepared NPG showed high catalytic activity towards the oxidation of formic acid and formaldehyde.After tiny amount of platinum was deposited onto the NPG substrate,not only the structure stability of NPG was greatly improved,but also the Pt-Au bimetallic catalysts displayed the better catalytic activity and the stronger poison resistance towards the electrooxidation of small organic molecules than the bulk platinum due to synergistic effect between Au and Pt compositions.

Study On Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Salbutamol At Carbon Nanotubes Modified Electrode, Ying-Liang Wei, Lu-Ping Zhang, Chen Shao, Hui Feng, Xian-Li Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The multi-wall carbon nanotubes(MWNT) were dispersed successfully into water in the presence of dihexadecyl hydrogen phosphate(DHP) and a stable well-distributed suspension.A was formed sensor based on the multi-carbon nanotubes film coated glassy carbon electrode was developed.The electrochemical response of salbutamol was studied by square wave voltammetry.The oxidation peak potential of salbutamol at the modified electrode was observed at 0.604 V,which shifted about 40 mV negatively.The peak current increased 4.5 folds,in contrast to that at a bare electrode.Under optimal measurement conditions,there was a good linear relationship between the peak current(Ipa) and salbutamol concentration(C) in the range from 8.3 × 1 0 …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Salicylic Acid At Novel Gold Nanoparticle-Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode, Yan-Ping Cui, Chang-Zhu Yang, Jian Huang, Wen-Hong Pu, Jing-Dong Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A gold nano-particles modified glassy carbon electrode(GNP/GCE) was prepared by the"seed-mediated gold nano-particles growth method".Field emission scanning electron microscopy,ultraviolet-visible(UV-vis) spectroscopy analysis and electroalaylsis were employed to study the morphology and electrochemical performances.The resulting electrode showed excellent electro-catalytic activity toward the oxidation of salicylic acid and the response sensitivity was 1.8 fold than that obtained on GCE.Good linear relationship was obtained between response current and salicylic acid concentration in the range of 5.0 × 10^-7 ~8.0 × 10^-5 mol/L,which could be used in the detection of trace salicylic acid.

Structure And Property Of Molecular Self-Assembled Membrane With Zirconium Ion, Tian-De Wang, Rong Wang, Xia-Qin Wu, Zhi-Gang Guo, Wei-Wei Ji

Journal of Electrochemistry

According to the complex interaction between dodecyl phosphonate and stainless steel surface as well as the zirconium ion,the self-assembled monolayer and double-layer dodecyl phosphonate modified 304 type stainless steel electrode were prepared.The electrodes were characteristiced by static contact angles and electrochemical polarization methods.The results suggested that the double-layer modified stainless steel electrode had better corrosion inhibition effect than the monolayer modified electrode.