นิรมล ปัญญ์บุศยกุล. Carbon Nanotubes for Electrochemical Sensing. Doctoral Degree(Biotechnology). King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. KMUTT Library.. : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 2007.
Abstract:
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit the attractive electrochemical properties by providing the
superior electrocatalytic properties over the other type of the carbon based electrode
materials. CNTs can enhance the current responses with a significant reduction of the
species overpotential, improve signal-to-noise ratio. Hence, the work in this thesis
considers investigation of novel CNTs architectures, including spun fiber of double walled
nanotubes (DWNTs) and as-grown ultra long vertically aligned multi walled nanotubes
(MWNTs).
DWNT used is an open-end DWNT with an inner and outer diameter of about 2-2.5 and 35
om respectively. A diameter of the DWNT spun fiber is -10-30 J.1m. DWNTs spun fiber
electrodes were fabricated from the DWNTs spun fiber. Subsequently, the electrochemical
properties of the DWNTs spun fiber electrode were investigated and compared to a
MWNTs mat electrode and a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Detailed study was made of
the redox behaviour of potassium hexacyanoferrate (IIIIIV), it was found that the DWNTs
spun fiber electrodes have a wider working potential window in potassium chloride (KCI)
and a faster electron transfer rate than the MWNTs mat and the GeE. These can be
observed from the featureless voltammogram in KCI and the stable peak to peak separation
(AEp) at the DWNTs electrode toward [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- respectively. The DWNT electrode
shows higher current response to the tested species including, ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine
(DA), and hydrogen peroxide over the plateau signal at the GCE. A remarkable observation
is that the electrode can detect DA as low as 2G J.1M and up to 80 J.1M in an AA and DA
mixed solution with the larger oxidation peak separation.
The compaction properties of the MWNTs forest, as grown ultra long MWNTs bundles,
after drying were exploited for simpiification of a microelectrode fabrication. The as-grown
ultra long MWNTs have a small outer diameter about 8-10 om. The microelectrodes were
found to have a wider working potential than a conventional GeE. This MWNTs
microelectrode provided steady-state voltammograms after a series of the electrode drying
and a faster electron transfer rate than that of the GCE. This signifies by the stable AEp for
all applied sweep rates. The microelectrode was able to detect AA and DA as low as about
0.7 and 1.87 J.1M, respectively, up to 500 J.1M for both species.
This work also proves that the powder based MWNTs (pMWNTs) catalytic activity
electrochemical activities exhibited similar to those of an edge plane pyrolytic graphite
(EPPG) electrode. The pMWNTs and the EPPG electrode performed a quasi-reversible
reaction with slow electron transfer rate as observed by the increasing of the L1Ep with the
increasing scan rate. However, those properties are proved to be different from these two
novel CNTs architectures used in this thesis. This indicates by the wider working potential
and faster electron transfer and kinetics at the latter two electrodes than that of the
pMWNTs and EPPG electrodes.