Next-generation energy–storage devices must provide both greater energy density and power density, but this-generation devices are limited by the relatively slow rates at which carbon electrode materials undergo electron transfer. Although carbons are inexpensive, relatively safe, and electronically conductive, they are inherently limited at facilitating redox reactions because carbon’s density of electronic states is often quite different from many redox-centers used in batteries and capacitors. In our present work, we fabricate thiophenylated, pyrolytic carbon film electrodes from dilute benzene and thiophene vapors at 1000°C and then adsorb trace amounts of gold nanoparticles onto electrode films in order to test the degree to which the presence of gold nanoparticles modifies electron-transfer rates at the carbon. We measure the voltammetric response of native S~carbon and gold-modified S~carbon electrodes to redox probes with modest and rapid redox kinetics and compare the peak splitting between the anodic and cathode branches of the redox process. Preliminary physical and electrochemical characterizations indicate that gold nanoparticles are present and significantly decrease the voltammetric peak splitting as compared to that of native pyrolytic S~carbon electrodes.

Modifying carbon electrodes with sulfur and gold nanoparticles to study the kinetics of redox reactions

2019 Spring National Meeting

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