Materials Chemistry Commons^™

Current Development Of Quantum Dots Based Electrochemiluminescence Immunosensors, Ling-Ling Li, Qian Lu, Jun-Jie Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemiluminescence exhibits the merits of both luminescence and electrochemistry analysis, and has been extensively employed in biosensors. Quantum dots are considered one of the three main kinds of electrochemiluminescence luminophores due to their unique properties. This paper briefly reviews the classification and signal amplification technology of quantum dots based electrochemiluminescence immunosensors. Future research trends are also suggested.

Synthesis And Electrocatalysis Of Pdcu Alloy Nanocrystals, Hai-Bin Wu, Rui-Zhong Zhang, Wei Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Monodispersed PdCu alloy nanoparticles were synthesized by co-reduction of Cu(acac)2 and Pd(acac)2 with 1, 2-hexadecanediol. The spherical and popcorn-like shapes of PdCu alloy nanoparticles were obtained by changing the ratios of mixed surface protecting ligands of 1-octadecene, and oleylamine or oleic acid. TEM and XRD measurements showed that both PdCu nanoparticles are alloy nanocrystals dominated with (111) planes and the average sizes are 12.7 ± 0.18 and 20.4 ± 0.31 nm for he spherical and popcorn-like PdCu nanoparticles, respectively. The electrocatalytic activities of the PdCu nanocrystals for formic acid oxidation were evaluated by electrochemical cyclic voltammetry (CV). The result showed …

Properties Of Carbon Coated Tin Negative Electrode For Lithium-Ion Battery, Gui-Chang Liu, Xiao-Xiao Shen, Li-Da Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carbon coated tin power was prepared by decomposing glucose applying a hydrothermal method, and was further used as the active material for negative electrode of lithium secondary battery. Charge-discharge tests show that the carbon coated tin electrode with the addition of 5 wt.% acetylene black as a conductive agent could obtain an initial discharge capacity of 967 mAh·g^-1 and a discharge capacity of 362 mAh·g^-1 after 50 cycles, which is much higher than that of tin electrode (166 mAh·g^-1 after 50 cycles). The coated carbon hinders the agglomeration of tin powder, reduces the irreversible capacity loss of …

Synthesis And Functionalization Of Small Silver Nanoparticles, Chris Menter, Jeunghoon Lee, Sarah Rhen, Elton Graugnard, Bernard Yurke, William Knowlton, Will Hughes, Wan Kuang

College of Arts and Sciences Poster Presentations

Metal nanoparticles in general exhibit interesting properties due to their small sizes. This response shows up as an intense absorption band in the visible region making metallic nanoparticles ideal probes for medical imaging as well as for countless other applications. Functionalizing metallic nanoparticles with DNA enables targeted labeling, controlled by their base sequence. Another purpose of functionalization is to attach the nanoparticle to a DNA substrate allowing controlled bottom up engineering of nanoscale devices. Gold or gold-encapsulated silver is usually used for these purposes instead of bare silver due to the ease with which silver is oxidized although silver nanoparticles …

Comparison Of Two Methods Of Monitoring Corn Mash At Corn Plus Ethanol Plant, Lanay Walker

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2013

In the ethanol industry, several variables affect the amount and grade of ethanol that is produced which affects a plant’s ability to make a profit. This research is focused on one of those variables, ‘corn mash solid content’, which must be closely monitored before the fermentation step. If the mash out of the mix tank is the wrong consistency, the alpha-amylase and gluco-amylase enzymes will not efficiently break the starch into simple sugars that yeast can consume which will decrease the amount of ethanol produced. The mash solid and moisture content is measured daily in order to ensure that the …

Dielectric Properties Of Polymer–Particle Nanocomposites Influenced By Electronic Nature Of Filler Surfaces, Sasidhar Siddabattuni, Thomas P. Schuman, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The interface between the polymer and the particle has a critical role in altering the properties of a composite dielectric. Polymer-ceramic nanocomposites are promising dielectric materials for many electronic and power devices, combining the high dielectric constant of ceramic particles with the high dielectric breakdown strength of a polymer. Self-assembled monolayers of electron rich or electron poor organophosphate coupling groups were applied to affect the filler–polymer interface and investigate the role of this interface on composite behavior. The interface has potential to influence dielectric properties, in particular the leakage and breakdown resistance. The composite films synthesized from the modified filler …

Combination And Applications Of Time-Resolved Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy And Electrochemical Methods, Yu Bao, Yan Mao, Wei Wang, Zheng-Gang Li, Li Niu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemical-surface plasmon resonance (EC-SPR) technique, developed in recent years, is a new technology which combines time-resolved surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a physical phenomenon generated by optical coupling using a metallic thin film and is very sensitive to optical analysis. The principles of SPR and EC-SPR are briefly introduced and the applications of the combination of SPR spectroscopy with electrochemical techniques are reviewed in this paper. This new technology has been widely used in such research areas as reaction dynamics, biochemical sensors, electrode/electrolyte interfaces, kinetic parameters and bimolecular interactions.

High Performance Membrane Electrode Assembly With Low Platinum Loadings Prepared By Atomic Layer Deposition For Pemfc Application, Ting Shu, Shi-Jun Liao, Chien-Te Hsieh, Ay Su

Journal of Electrochemistry

A high performance membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with low platinum loadings was successfully prepared with atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. The anode of the MEA was prepared by depositing platinum on the carbon paper substrate, which was prepared by coating the slurry of carbon black (XC-72R) and Teflon, followed by drying and calcining at 350 °C. The MEAs consisted of the ALD anode or commercial catalyst anode, pretreated Nafion membrane (Nafion-117) and commercial cathode. Performances of MEAs were measured by single cell testing, and the anodes and MEAs were characterized by CV, SEM, TEM and XRD. The results revealed that …

Electrochemical Performance Of Fe3O4/C Composites As Negative Material For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Jun-Jie Cai, Shu Yao, Ze-Sheng Li, Hui Meng, Pei-Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Fe₃O₄/Carbon composites have been synthesized through coprecipitation pathway and by insitu aniline polymerization as a carbon source. Structural characterization and morphological study of the composites were investigated by using XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. The results showed that the nanosized Fe₃O₄ particles (40 ~ 80 nm) were encapsulated in the amorphous carbon. During the electrochemical tests, the Fe₃O₄/C composites exhibited high capaticity and excellent cycle ability, the retention of capaticity was about 1000 mAh·g^-1 after 30 cycles of charge/discharge tests at 50 mA·g^-1.

A Comparative Study Of Charge-Discharge Behaviors Of α-Pbo2 And β-Pbo2 Cathodes, Cong-Ying Cui, Xue-Mei Ma, De-Long Kong, Hou-Yi Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

The α-PbO₂ and β-PbO₂ powders were prepared using simple chemical synthetic methods, and their crystalline structures and surface morphologies were characterized with X-ray powder diffraction spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Using the as-synthesized α-PbO₂ and β-PbO₂ powders as positive active materials, the electrochemical performance of the two PbO₂ materials was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicate that the discharge capacity of α-PbO₂ electrode is larger than that of β-PbO₂; moreover, the composite electrodes made by α-PbO₂ and β-PbO₂ mixtures with …

An In Situ Ftir Spectroelectrochemical Study On Methanol Oxidation At Pt-Mo2C/Gc Catalyst, Hai-Ping Huang, Xi-Yu Yao, Pei-Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

A 40% Pt on Mo₂C/GC catalyst has been prepared by ion exchange method. The mechanism of methanol electrooxidation on Pt-Mo₂C/GC and commercial Pt/C catalysts in acidic media was studied by cyclic voltammetry, XRD measurements and in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroelectrochemistry. The results revealed that the Pt nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on Mo₂C/GC with an average particle size of 3 nm. The cyclic voltammetric and chronopotentiometric experiments indicated that Pt-Mo₂C/GC catalyst exhibited a better performance for methanol oxidation than that of Pt/C in acid solution. A negative shift over 90 mV of the …

Applications Of Ellipsometry In The Investigations Of Electrode-Solution Interface, Jing-Lei Lei, Liang-Liu Wu, Ling-Jie Li, Sheng-Mao Wu, Sheng-Tao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ellipsometry is an optical technique with high-sensitivity to quantitatively obtain surface/interface properties such as thickness andrefractive index by analyzing the changes in polarized light reflected from the surface/interface. Its noncontacting and nondestructivenature makes it possible to acquire thein situreal-time information of the change at the surface/interface. Therefore, ellipsometry has been used widely in the electrochemical investigations. In this paper, based on the brief introduction of the measurementprinciple of ellipsometry, the current progress and the future trends of ellipsometry in electrochemistry arediscussed. The applications of ellipsometry in the fields of conversion and storage of electrochemical energy, electrochemistry ofmaterials science,electroanalysisand bioelectrochemistry are …

Oxygen Reduction Reaction On Glycin Modified Pt(111) Electrode, Ming-Fang Li, Jing Kang, Ling-Wen Liao, Yan-Xia Chen, Shen Ye

Journal of Electrochemistry

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xygen reduction reaction (ORR) on glycin (NH₂CH₂COOH) modified Pt(111) electrode has been investigated using hanging meniscus rotating disk electrode system (HMRD) in 0.05 mol•L^-1 H₂SO₄ and 0.1 mol•L^-1 HClO₄ solutions, respectively. Cyclic voltammograms of the glycin modified Pt (111) electrode measured in 0.05 mol•L^-1 H₂SO₄ solution similar to that of CN^- modified Pt(111) electrodes, demonstrating that sulfate adsorption is strongly inhibited at the glycin modified Pt(111). From the polarization curve of ORR recorded in 0.05 mol•L^-1 H₂SO₄ solution, it is …

Porous Electrodes With High Pt Utilization Obtained By Ion-Exchange/Electrodeposition, Si-Guo Chen, Wei Ding, Xue-Qiang Qi, Li Li, Zi-Hua Deng, Zi-Dong Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

We report a novel method based on ion-exchange/electrodeposition (IEE) for constructing high Pt utilization porous electrodes. The electrode prepared using IEE was assessed by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and single cell test. The preliminary results show that the undesired ion-exchange between Pt anion and surface functional group in carbon black can be eliminated through the electrode preparation process, and every Pt particle prepared by IEE is expected to be deposited on the three-phase reaction zone and thus can be fully utilized in fuel cell reactions. The Pt particle size, shape and distribution …

Effect Of Ti/Pbo2 Electrodes Doped With Different Elements On Electrocatalytic Oxidation Characteristics Of Phenol, Xiao-Lei Liu, Yuan-Yuan Dan, Hai-Yan Lu, Hai-Bo Lin, Ming-Li Ouyang, Chuan-Jun Yun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Three types of electrodes, namely, Ti/PbO₂, F-doped PbO₂ (Ti/PbO₂-F) and nano-Co₃O₄-doped PbO₂ (Ti/PbO₂+Nano-Co₃O₄) electrodes, were prepared by electro-deposition method on the Ti substrate with the interlayer of SnO₂-Sb₂O₅. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the compositions, structures and film morphologies of the electrodes. Electrocatalytic oxidation characteristics to phenol on the prepared electrodes were investigated by electrochemical method. The experimental results showed that compared with the Ti/PbO₂ electrode, the potentials of oxygen …

A Dft Calculation Screening Of Pt-Based Bimetallic Catalysts For Oxygen Reduction, Li-Hui Ou, Sheng-Li Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Developing Pt-lean catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the key for large-scale application of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this paper, we have proposed a multiple-descriptor strategy for screening efficient and durable ORR alloy catalysts of low Pt content. We argue that an ideal Pt-based bimetallic alloy catalyst for ORR should possess simultaneously negative alloy formation energy, negative surface segregation energy of Pt and a lower oxygen binding ability than pure Pt. By performing detailed DFT calculations on the thermodynamics, surface chemistry and electronic properties of various Pt-M alloys (M refers to non-precious transition metals in the …

Sodium Carbonate Catalyzed Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Over Tio2 Nanotubes Photoanode, De-Sheng Kong, Jing Wang, Xue-Di Zhang, Xi Zhao, Chao Wang, Yuan-Yuan Feng, Wen-Juan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Surface recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs at semiconductor/electrolyte interface is one of the most essential reasons responsible for lowering photoconversion efficiency (Φ) of light to chemical energy for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting reaction. In this paper, the catalytic effect of sodium carbonate on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) over TiO₂ nanotubes photoanode during PEC water splitting was investigated by performing photocurrent and ac impedance measurements. It was demonstrated that the addiction of 1 mmol•L^-1 Na₂CO₃ in 0.5 mol•L^-1 NaClO₄ electrolyte can effectively improve the charge transfer properties for the photogenerated holes across …

Piezoelectric Microfiber Composite Actuators For Morphing Wings, Timothy Usher, Kenneth R. Ulibarri, Gilberto S. Camargo

Physics Faculty Publications

Morphing wing technologies provide expanded functionality in piloted and robotic aircraft, extending particular vehicle mission parameters as well as increasing the role of aviation in both military and civilian applications. However, realizing control surfaces that do not void the benefits of morphing wings presents challenges that can be addressed with microfiber composite actuators (MFCs). We present two approaches for realizing control surfaces. In one approach, flap-like structures are formed by bonding MFCs to each side of a metal substrate. In the other approach, MFCs are bonded directly to the wing. Counter intuitively, the flap approach resulted in larger voltage actuation …

Metastable Nanostructured Metallized Fluoropolymer Composites For Energetics, Hannah A. Miller, Bradley S. Kusel, Seth T. Danielson, James W. Neat, Eryn K. Avjian, Scott N. Pierson, Stephen M. Budy, David W. Ball, Scott T. Iacono, Sharon C. Kettwich

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Fluoropolymers have long served as potent oxidizers for metal-based pyrolant designs for the preparation of energetic materials. Commercial perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs), specifically known as Fomblins®, are well-known to undergo accelerated thermal degradation in the presence of native metals and Lewis acids producing energetically favorable metal fluoride species. This study employs the use of PFPEs to coat nano-aluminum (n-Al) and under optimized stoichiometric formulations, harness optimized energy output. The PFPEs serve as ideal oxidizers of n-Al because they are non-volatile, viscous liquids that coat the particles thereby maximizing surface interactions. The n-Al/PFPE blended combination is required to interface with an epoxy-based matrix …

Excitation Of Radiative Polaritons By Polarized Broadband Infrared Radiation In Thin Oxide Films Deposited By Atomic Layer Deposition, Anita J. Vincent-Johnson, Andrew E. Masters, Xiaofeng Hu, Giovanna Scarel

Department of Physics and Astronomy - Faculty Scholarship

This work contributes to the understanding of infrared radiation interaction with matter and its absorption for energy harvesting purposes. By exciting radiative polaritons in thin oxide filmswith polarized infrared radiation, a further evidence is collected that a link exists between radiative polaritons and the heat recovery mechanism hypothesized in previous research. In the voltage transient occurring when the infrared radiation is turned on, the observed time necessary to reach the maximum voltage and the voltage intensity versus angle of incidence exhibit a mismatch when generated by polarized and nonpolarized infrared radiation. The existence of collective charge oscillation modes in the …