Beneficial Effects of Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide in the Modification of Electrodes with Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate Surface Films

Controlling the Interfacial Environment in the Electrosynthesis of MnOx Nanostructures for High-Performance Oxygen Reduction/Evolution Electrocatalysis

High-performance, nonprecious metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER, respectively) are of great importance for rechargeable metal-air batteries and regenerative fuel cells. A comprehensive study based on statistical design of experiments is presented to investigate and optimize the surfactant-assisted structure and the resultant bifunctional ORR/OER activity of anodically deposited manganese oxide (MnO_x) catalysts. Three classes of surfactants are studied: anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), non-ionic (t-octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol, Triton X-100), and cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB). The adsorption of surfactants has two main effects: increased deposition current density due to higher Mn²⁺ and Mn³⁺ concentrations at the outer Helmholtz plane (Frumkin effect on the electrodeposition kinetics) and templating of the MnO_x nanostructure. CTAB produces MnO_x with nanoneedle (1D) morphology, whereas nanospherical- and nanopetal-like morphologies are obtained with SDS and Triton, respectively. The bifunctional performance is assessed based on three criteria: OER/ORR onset potential window (defined at 2 and -2 mA cm^-2) and separately the ORR and OER mass activities. The best compromise among these three criteria is obtained either with Triton X-100 deposited catalyst composed of MnOOH and Mn₃O₄ or SDS deposited catalyst containing a combination of α- and β-MnO₂, MnOOH, and Mn₃O₄.The interaction effects among the deposition variables (surfactant type and concentration, anode potential, Mn²⁺ concentration, and temperature) reveal the optimal strategy for high-activity bifunctional MnO_x catalyst synthesis. Mass activities for OER and ORR up to 49 A g^-1 (at 1556 mV_RHE) and -1.36 A g^-1 (at 656 mV_RHE) are obtained, respectively.

Recent advances in electrochemical sensing for hydrogen peroxide: a review

Due to the significance of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in biological systems and its practical applications, the development of efficient electrochemical H(2)O(2) sensors holds a special attraction for researchers. Various materials such as Prussian blue (PB), heme proteins, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and transition metals have been applied to the construction of H(2)O(2) sensors. In this article, the electrocatalytic H(2)O(2) determinations are mainly focused on because they can provide a superior sensing performance over non-electrocatalytic ones. The synergetic effect between nanotechnology and electrochemical H(2)O(2) determination is also highlighted in various aspects. In addition, some recent progress for in vivo H(2)O(2) measurements is also presented. Finally, the future prospects for more efficient H(2)O(2) sensing are discussed.

Flow injection analysis of blood l-lactate by using a Prussian Blue-based biosensor as amperometric detector

An amperometric l-lactate biosensor was fabricated by confining lactate oxidase in a Prussian Blue-modified electrode with a Nafion membrane. The detector was assembled in a flow injection apparatus and operated at -0.1 V. Conditions for optimal electrode response were determined by investigating the influence of the amount of immobilized enzyme, the sample volume, and the flow rate. At the established operational conditions, the biosensor exhibited negligible response from interfering species usually present in biological fluids. The stability of the biosensor was also investigated, and its sensitivity was maintained unchanged at certain experimental conditions. l-Lactate was determined in blood samples, and the influence of physical exercise on the results was clearly evidenced, demonstrating that the proposed amperometric detector is suitable for monitoring changes in the l-lactate levels in biological fluids.

Beneficial role of surfactants in electrochemistry and in the modification of electrodes

This review deals with the beneficial use of surfactants in various fields of electrochemistry, in general and in the modification of electrodes with immobilized electroactive species, in particular. Special emphasis is laid on the modification of electrodes with metal hexacyanoferrates (MHCFs). After an introduction and brief notes on fundamentals of surfactants, and their applications in electrochemistry, covering some of the very important works in the past two decades involving beneficial use of surfactants, the article gives a brief account on metal hexacyanoferrate modified electrodes and the salient features of our published results on the beneficial role of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, in the modification of electrodes with MHCFs and their derivatized oxides, and with titanium dioxide.

Effects of surfactants on the electroreduction of dioxygen at an acetylene black electrode

An acetylene black electrode modified by an adsorbed cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), was developed. The influences of various types of surfactants on the electroreduction of O2 were investigated. It was demonstrated that a cationic surfactant, CTAB, on the surface of the electrode could significantly decrease the overpotential of dioxygen reduction, and the reduction peak current of O2 was also remarkably increased. The reduction of O2 at a CTAB modified acetylene black electrode was studied using cyclic voltammetry, chronocoulometry and controlled potential coulometry. The total number of electrons, the exchange current density (j(o)) and the transfer coefficient (alpha) for reduction of O2 at the surface of this modified electrode were determined.

Beneficial role of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in the enhancement of photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized rutile TiO2 solar cells

A new approach involving the introduction of the common cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) for modifying a rutile TiO2 film during its formation from hydrolyzed TiCl4 solution has been adopted, intending to improve the photoelectrochemical properties of the pertinent dye-sensitized solar cell. CTAB-routed films were found to consist of smaller clusters of near-spherical TiO2 particles, compared with larger clusters of long rod-shaped particles in the absence of CTAB. As a consequence, the photocurrent and photovoltage of the cell fabricated by using CTAB have increased significantly, leading to a conversion efficiency increase, compared with those of the cell prepared without CTAB. On the basis of FE-SEM, BET, and XRD analyses, the increases are attributed to decreased particle size, improved interparticle connectivity, and enhanced crystallinity of the CTAB-promoted TiO2 particles and decreased void volume in the film. Faster growth of the TiO2 film was another beneficial effect of CTAB. A mechanism is proposed for the beneficial role of CTAB during the film formation.