Electrochemical Charge-Transfer Resistance in Carbon Nanotube Composites
- 19 February 2014
- journal article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Nano Letters
- Vol. 14 (3), 1329-1336
- https://doi.org/10.1021/nl404349g
Abstract
Using a model system of single, isolated carbon nanotubes loaded with high-capacitance metal-oxide films, we have quantitatively investigated electrochemical composites on the single-nanotube scale. Electrochemical charging and discharging of a model MnO2 storage material was used to probe interfacial charge transfer and surface impedances at the nanotube interface. We found that one single-walled carbon nanotube has an apparent surface resistivity of 30 mΩ cm(2), approximately 4 times smaller than for a multiwalled carbon nanotube and 50 times smaller than the 1.5 Ω cm(2) resistivity of Pt or graphite films. The improvement originates in the electrochemical-transport properties of microelectrodes shrunk to a nanotube's dimensions rather than any unique nanotube property like curvature, bandstructure, or surface chemistry. In explaining the enhanced performance of certain nanotube-containing composites, the results overturn widely held assumptions about nanotubes' roles while also providing guidelines for optimizing effective composites.Keywords
Funding Information
- Office of Basic Energy Sciences (DESC0001160)
This publication has 55 references indexed in Scilit:
- Modeling pseudo capacitance of manganese dioxideElectrochimica Acta, 2012
- Comment on Electrochemical Kinetics at Ordered Graphite ElectrodesAnalytical Chemistry, 2012
- Electron Transfer Kinetics at Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Electrodes using Scanning Electrochemical MicroscopyThe Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2010
- Advanced Carbon Electrode Materials for Molecular ElectrochemistryChemical Reviews, 2008
- Carbon materials for supercapacitor applicationPhysical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2007
- Nanostructured materials for advanced energy conversion and storage devicesNature Materials, 2005
- Voltammetric Characterization of Ruthenium Oxide-Based Aerogels and Other RuO2 Solids: The Nature of Capacitance in Nanostructured MaterialsLangmuir, 2003
- Supercapacitor electrodes from multiwalled carbon nanotubesApplied Physics Letters, 2000
- Control of reactivity at carbon electrode surfacesColloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 1994
- An Optical Study of the Deposition, Discharge, and Recharge of Manganese Dioxide FilmsJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 1985