Nanogap Electrochemistry of Clean Graphitic Surfaces

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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.