Effects of microstructure of carbon nanofibers for amperometric detection of hydrogen peroxide

• Published in: Analytica chimica acta Vol. 597; no. 2; pp. 238 - 244
• Main Authors: Li, Zhizhou, Cui, Xiaoli, Zheng, Junsheng, Wang, Qingfei, Lin, Yuehe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 10.08.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: AMPEROMETRY; Analytical chemistry; biosensors; CARBON; Carbon - chemistry; Carbon nanofibers; Chemistry; DETECTION; Electrocatalytic activity; Electrochemical methods; ELECTRODES; Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory; Exact sciences and technology; FABRICATION; FIBERS; General, instrumentation; Glass - chemistry; HYDROGEN PEROXIDE; Hydrogen Peroxide - analysis; Hydrogen peroxide oxidation; Hydrogen peroxide sensors; INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; MICROSTRUCTURE; NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY; NANOSTRUCTURES; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanostructures - ultrastructure; Oxidation-Reduction; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Water - chemistry; Hydrogen peroxide oxidation; Carbon nanofibers; Electrocatalytic activity; Hydrogen peroxide sensors; Correlation coefficient; Performance evaluation; Hydrogen peroxide; Electrochemical method; Carbon electrode; Chemical sensor; Carbon; Electrocatalysis; Vertebrata; Detection limit; Pisces; Graphite; Amperometry; Standard deviation; Oxidation; Microstructure; Crystalline structure
• ISSN: 0003-2670; 1873-4324
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2007.06.046

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with three microstructures, including platelet-carbon nanofibers (PCNFs), fish-bone-carbon nanofibers (FCNFs), and tube-carbon nanofibers (TCNFs), were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide. The CNFs studied here show microstructures with various stacked morphologies. The sizes and graphite-layer ordering of the CNFs can be well controlled. Glassy carbon (GC) electrodes modified by CNFs were fabricated and compared for amperometric detection of hydrogen peroxide. Sensors based on PCNFs/GC, FCNFs/GC, and TCNFs/GC were used in the amperometric detection of H 2O 2 in solution by applying a potential of +0.65 V versus Ag/AgCl at the working electrode. The highest electrocatalytic performance was observed for PCNFs/GC among the three types of hydrogen peroxide sensors. The amperometric response of PCNFs/GC retained over 90% of the initial current of the first day up to 21 days. The linear range is from 1.80 × 10 −4 to 2.62 × 10 −3 M with a correlation coefficient larger than 0.999 and with a detection limit of 4.0 μM H 2O 2 (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviation for detecting 1.80 × 10 −4 M H 2O 2 ( N = 8) is 2.1% with an average response of 0.64 μA. The significant diversity of electrocatalytic activity of the CNFs toward the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide may result from the difference of morphologies, textural properties, and crystalline structures.