Nanogap Electrochemistry of Clean Graphitic Surfaces

该项目由美国国家科学基金会化学部的化学测量和成像计划资助。匹兹堡大学的Shigeru Amemiya教授正在开发新的实验策略，以测量传统碳材料和新兴碳纳米材料的清洁石墨表面的高电化学反应性。开发了一种简单的方法，以保持清洁的石墨表面在研究实验室，以及在工业环境中，大规模生产的碳电极是重要的。清洁的石墨表面可以改善广泛用于燃料电池、蓄电池、太阳能电池和超级电容器的低成本碳电极的性能。此外，本科生，女学生，和学生从代表性不足的群体通过各种纳米电化学研究活动招募和培训。其他活动包括工业合作，并为本科生实验室实施纳米电化学实验。该项目的重点是清洁石墨表面的电化学研究，以更好地了解碳电化学的基础知识和更好的未来应用。Amemiya实验室开发的新技术相结合，使明确清洁的石墨表面的第一个反应性测量。具体而言，通过在潮湿空气中在表面上冷凝纳米厚的水吸附层，保护清洁的石墨表面免受空气传播的疏水污染物的影响。 表面保持在含有极低浓度有机杂质的电解质溶液中。超快电子转移动力学的水保护的清洁石墨表面，然后定量和可靠地测量采用纳米间隙伏安法和扫描电化学显微镜。

This project is funded by the Chemical Measurement and Imaging program of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation. Professor Shigeru Amemiya of the University of Pittsburgh is developing new experimental strategies to measure the high electrochemical reactivity of clean graphitic surfaces of traditional carbon materials and emerging carbon nanomaterials. A simple approach is developed to maintain clean graphitic surfaces in the research laboratory as well as in industrial settings where the mass production of carbon electrodes is important. Clean graphitic surfaces may improve the performance of the low-cost carbon electrodes that are widely used for fuel cells, batteries, solar cells, and supercapacitors. In addition, undergraduate students, female students, and students from underrepresented groups are recruited and trained through various nanoelectrochemical research activities. Other activities include industrial collaborations, and the implementation of nanoelectrochemistry experiments for the undergraduate laboratory.This project is focused on the electrochemical study of clean graphitic surfaces for a greater fundamental understanding and better future applications of carbon electrochemistry. New technologies developed in the Amemiya laboratory are combined to enable the first reactivity measurement of unambiguously clean graphitic surfaces. Specifically, the clean graphitic surface is protected from airborne hydrophobic contaminants by condensing a nanometer-thick adlayer of water on the surfaces in humidified air. The surface is maintained in electrolyte solutions containing extremely low concentrations of organic impurities. The ultrafast electron-transfer kinetics of water-protected clean graphitic surfaces are then measured quantitatively and reliably by employing nanogap voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy.