Durability and surface chemistry of horizontally aligned CNT films as electrodes upon electrolysis of acidic aqueous solution

We devised a simple and effective method of electrochemical functionalization of horizontally aligned CNT films in diluted HCl and H 2 SO 4 solutions upon their electrolysis under a constant current mode. We were able to cause notable generation of carbon–oxygen and carbon–chlorine functional groups...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of materials science Vol. 49; no. 20; pp. 7231 - 7243
Main Authors Janas, Dawid, Kreft, Stefanie K., Boncel, Slawomir, Koziol, Krzysztof K. K.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Boston Springer US 01.10.2014
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Aqueous solutions
Carbon
Cathodic cleaning
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemical properties
Chemistry and Materials Science
Chlorine
Classical Mechanics
Crystallography and Scattering Methods
Electric properties
Electrodes
Electrolysis
Functional groups
Hydrogen
Materials Science
Morphology
Organic chemistry
Oxidation
Polymer Sciences
Raman spectroscopy
Solid Mechanics
Sulfuric acid
X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
Hydrochloric Acid Solution
Lower Overpotential
Constant Current Mode
Water Contact Angle
Hemispherical Electron Analyzer
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Summary:We devised a simple and effective method of electrochemical functionalization of horizontally aligned CNT films in diluted HCl and H 2 SO 4 solutions upon their electrolysis under a constant current mode. We were able to cause notable generation of carbon–oxygen and carbon–chlorine functional groups on the CNT film anodes as proven by EDX, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy. As a consequence, we observed significant changes of the morphology of the material under electron microscopy, what translated into improved compatibility of CNTs with hydrophilic media. In turn, application of CNT films as cathodes was found as a powerful tool for a thorough cleaning of the nanotubes. Finally, we demonstrated that by the selection of appropriate conditions, CNT films can act as easy-to-make and flexible electrodes with a high stability and performance superior to graphite for generation of non-oxidizing gases such as hydrogen from solution. CNT film electrodes are two orders of magnitude lighter and require much lower overpotential for faradaic splitting of water.
ISSN:0022-2461
1573-4803
DOI:10.1007/s10853-014-8430-x