A voltammetric study of the electrodeposition chemistry of the Cu + Se system

Annealing Effect on One Step Electrodeposited CuSbSe2 Thin Films

The purpose of this work is to study the influence of the annealing temperature on the structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties of CuSbSe2 thin films electrodeposited in a single step. CuSbSe2 thin films were grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/glass substrates using the aqueous electrodeposition technique, then annealed in a tube furnace under nitrogen at temperatures spanning from 250 to 500 °C. The resulting films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Raman spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The annealing temperature plays a fundamental role on the films structural properties; in the range 250–350 °C the formation of pure CuSbSe2 phase from electrodeposited binary selenides occurs. From 400 to 500 °C, CuSbSe2 undergoes a preferential phase orientation change, as well as the increasing formation of copper-rich phases such as Cu3SbSe3 and Cu3SbSe4 due to the partial decomposition of CuSbSe2 and to the antimony losses.

Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry of Selenium(IV) at a Silver Disk Electrode

A new, simple, and reproducible method is described for the determination of selenium(IV) based on differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry. The optimized experimental conditions are as follows:  selenium(IV) ions in an acidic medium (0.06 M HCl-0.07 M HNO(3)) are electrodeposited on a rotating silver disk electrode as silver selenide at -0.4 V vs SCE for 30 min; the deposit is then cathodically stripped in another solution (2 M NaOH) at a scan rate of 50 mV s(-1) to -1.2 V vs SCE. The cathodic stripping results in only a single well-defined peak at about -0.95 V vs SCE. The calibration (peak height vs selenium concentration) graph is linear up to at least 40 ng mL(-1) of selenium(IV) and passes through the origin, with a relative standard deviation of 2.7% for 20 ng mL(-1) (n = 5). The detection limit (3σ) is 0.20 ng mL(-1). The possible interferences have been evaluated. Dissolved oxygen does not affect the peak height of selenium. The electrode can be used repeatedly at least 20 times with excellent reproducibility without further polishing. The proposed method is an improvement over the existing cathodic stripping techniques.

Ultratrace Determination of Inorganic Selenium without Signal Calibration

To more readily evaluate the complex biogeochemistry of selenium, a flow-through electrochemical method was developed that can accurately determine Se(IV) concentrations in aqueous samples to part-per-trillion levels without signal calibration. Stripping methods were used in conjunction with a high-efficiency, flow-through cell. The cell was designed with a novel gold working electrode that was separated from a porous counter electrode by a Nafion membrane. Because this design permitted exhaustive deposition of selenium from the sample stream as well as efficient coulometric stripping, determinations obeyed Faraday's law over a reasonably wide range of operating conditions. The method had a minimum quantitation limit of approximately 8 ng and a maximum limit of 800 ng for Se(IV). It was reliable for sample volumes as small as 0.5 mL and as high as 20 mL, thereby allowing determinations from part-per-million to just below part-per-billion levels. Interferences from Cu(II) and arsenate were evident, but only when these species were present at concentrations exceeding 10 mg.L-1. Overall, the method had a performance comparable to hydride-generation atomic absorption spectrometry but with less cumbersome equipment and freedom from calibration.

Electrochemical surface characterization and O2 reduction kinetics of Se surface-modified ru nanoparticle-based RuSe(y)/C catalysts

The electrochemical properties of Se surface-modified Ru/C catalysts (RuSey/C with y = 0 to 1) and their O2 reduction characteristics were determined in model studies under well-defined mass transport conditions, combining quantitative differential electrochemical mass spectrometry and double-disk electrode thin-layer flow-cell measurements. Surface characterization of the catalysts including the quantitative evaluation of the active surface area was performed by electrochemical/mass spectrometric (combined H-upd adsorption, preadsorbed CO monolayer oxidation, Cu-upd adsorption/stripping, and RuOx formation) methods. The suitability of these methods for the determination of the active surface area in the high and low Se coverage regime are discussed, and COad stripping is found to be the most relevant method for the present catalysts. The kinetic parameters for the ORR (activity and selectivity) under quasi-steady-state conditions and their variation with Se modification were evaluated in potentiostatic flow-cell measurements. Modification of Ru/C catalyst by Se improves the O2 reduction activity and reduces the tendency for H2O2 formation in the technically relevant potential region of 0.6-0.8 VRHE, but even for the best catalyst compositions a significant ( approximately 0.2 VRHE) overpotential for O2 reduction on the RuSey/C catalysts remains compared to that for the Pt/C catalyst, and we find H2O2 yields of at least 1% at typical cathode operation potentials. Consequences of the relatively high H2O2 yields for membrane/electrode stability in practical applications are discussed.