Publication detail

Polymer pencil leads as a porous nanocomposite graphite material for electrochemical applications: The impact of chemical and thermal treatments

TRNKOVÁ, L. TŘÍSKOVÁ, I. ČECHAL, J. FARKA, Z.

Original Title

Polymer pencil leads as a porous nanocomposite graphite material for electrochemical applications: The impact of chemical and thermal treatments

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Pencil graphite electrodes are a simple, disposable, and low-cost alternative to screen-printed graphite electrodes. In terms of stability and sensitivity, pencil electrodes often outperform conventional carbon ones. This paper discusses and emphasizes the superior properties of polymer pencil graphite electrodes (pPeGEs), which can be exploited in the electrochemical analysis of molecules, such as chlorides, whose signals are missing on common graphite electrodes. The chemical and structural behaviour of pencil leads after exposure to acids (HF, HNO3, HClO4) or organic solvents (CH3CN, CH3Cl) was monitored via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical activity of pristine and treated pPeGEs was studied by the cyclic voltammetry (CV) responses of reversible redox probes [Fe(CN)6]3/4- and [Ru(NH3)6]3+/ 2+. XPS proved the presence of siloxanes in the surface matrix of the pencil leads; this finding relates to the hydrophobic surface character of the electrodes. SEM then provided images of the pencil surfaces with microplates and flakes and revealed the removal of siloxanes upon chemical treatment. The CVs of non-dried and dried pPeGEs displayed surface changes in the polymer matrix, accompanied by water loss. Our study shows that the pPeGE retains the character of a stable graphite sensor when exposed to acids and organic solvents, except for HF and chloroform. The discovered effects explain the electrochemical processes occurring on pPeGEs and can contribute to their application in electrochemical sensing and energy storage.

Keywords

Polymer pencil graphite electrode; Nanocomposite; Microporous electrodes; Siloxanes; Redox processes of chlorides

Authors

TRNKOVÁ, L.; TŘÍSKOVÁ, I.; ČECHAL, J.; FARKA, Z.

Released

1. 5. 2021

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

NEW YORK

ISBN

1873-1902

Periodical

ELECTROCHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS

Year of study

126

Number

1

State

United States of America

Pages from

1

Pages to

7

Pages count

7

URL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248121001028?via%3Dihub

Full text in the Digital Library

http://hdl.handle.net/11012/200989

BibTex

@article{BUT171711,
  author="Libuše {Trnková} and Iveta {Třísková} and Jan {Čechal} and Zdeněk {Farka}",
  title="Polymer pencil leads as a porous nanocomposite graphite material for electrochemical applications: The impact of chemical and thermal treatments",
  journal="ELECTROCHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS",
  year="2021",
  volume="126",
  number="1",
  pages="1--7",
  doi="10.1016/j.elecom.2021.107018",
  issn="1873-1902",
  url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248121001028?via%3Dihub"
}