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Synthesis and electrochemical characterization of sol-gel-derived RuO 2/carbon nanotube composites

Kahram, M ; Sharif University of Technology

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1007/s10008-013-2346-2
  3. Abstract:
  4. Ruthenium oxide was coated on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to obtain nanocomposite electrode which has a good response to the pH. To synthesize this electrode, gold and cobalt were coated on a stainless steel 304 substrates, respectively, and then, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes were grown on the prepared substrates by chemical vapor deposition. Gold reduced activity of the stainless steel, while cobalt served as a catalyst for growth of the carbon nanotube. Ruthenium oxide was then coated on MWCNTs via sol-gel method. At last, different techniques were used to characterize the properties of synthesized electrode including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. SEM results showed that the length of the carbon nanotubes varied with reaction time, and in this research, it was maintained around 9 μm with a diameter about 100 nm. Electrochemical analysis revealed that optimum sol concentration and heat treatment temperature to meet the best pH sensing response were 0.1 M RuCl3 sol and 200°C, respectively. Moreover, the obtained electrode represented a linear and near-Nernstian response (about -63 mV/pH) throughout the whole pH range (2-12) of Britton-Robinson buffer solutions
  5. Keywords:
  6. Multiwalled carbon nanotube ; pH sensor ; Ruthenium oxide ; Sol-gel ; Chemical vapor deposition ; Cobalt ; Cyclic voltammetry ; Gold ; Gold coatings ; Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCN) ; pH ; pH sensors ; Scanning electron microscopy ; Sol-gel process ; Sol-gels ; Stainless steel ; Transmission electron microscopy ; X-ray diffraction ; Britton-Robinson buffer ; Electrochemical analysis ; Electrochemical characterizations ; Heat treatment temperature ; Nanocomposite electrodes ; Vertically aligned carbon nanotube ; Ruthenium compounds
  7. Source: Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry ; Vol. 18, Issue 4 , April , 2014 , pp. 993-1003 ; Online ISSN: 1433-0768
  8. URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10008-013-2346-2