Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) are interesting materials of study because of their charge storing capacity. These materials can have a potential for battery technology applications if the effects of their composition and structure are understood. The focus of this study was to analyze the effects of the addition of copper or cobalt to a nickel deposition solution on the resulting PBA films. Solutions with constant metal concentration, but with different relative concentrations of NiCu and NiCo, were electrodeposited on a gold substrate through controlled potential electrolysis. In a hexacyanoferrate solution, the sample was modified in a cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiment to produce the PBA. The capacity of the modified film was characterized with CV scans using different scan rates. In addition, a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was utilized for examining the structure and composition of the film before and after the modification step. Preliminary results show that depositing the desired amount of copper was difficult whereas the cobalt depositions were more easily controlled. Yet, the deposition of copper resulted in more stored charge than that with cobalt. The amount of copper or cobalt has no effect on the kinetics or the potential of the reaction.

Comparison of charge storage properties of Prussian Blue analogues containing copper and cobalt

255th National Meeting (2018)

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