Issue 12, 2011

Fabrication of free-standing electrospun carbon nanofibers as efficient electrode materials for bioelectrocatalysis

Abstract

Electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were prepared by electrospinning of a polyacrylonitrile solution followed by convenient stabilization and carbonization thermal treatments. By observations of scanning electron microscopy, a mat of interlaced continuous submicronic fibers was detected. Characterization by Raman spectroscopy demonstrated the successful preparation of a carbon material and the influence of the heating-treatment temperature on the structure of the resulting CNFs. The novelty of the approach relies in the easy handling of the resulting electrospun mat electrode that does not require addition of any polymer binder or conductive material. This is the first time that electrospun conductive fibers are envisaged as electrode supports for redox enzymes immobilization applied to bioelectrocatalytic O2reduction. The most interesting thing is the remarkable benefit effect of the CNFs on the electrical performances of the electrode which can ascribe to high loading of active enzymes and fast kinetics at the electrode surface. The remarkably intensified current density (∼1 mA cm−2) achieved at the enzymatic CNFs bioelectrode is probably due to the unique nanostructure and surface properties of these nanomaterials that make them promising candidates as enzymatic cathodes in biofuel cell devices.

Graphical abstract: Fabrication of free-standing electrospun carbon nanofibers as efficient electrode materials for bioelectrocatalysis

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Jul 2011
Accepted
22 Sep 2011
First published
10 Oct 2011

New J. Chem., 2011,35, 2848-2853

Fabrication of free-standing electrospun carbon nanofibers as efficient electrode materials for bioelectrocatalysis

A. Che, V. Germain, M. Cretin, D. Cornu, C. Innocent and S. Tingry, New J. Chem., 2011, 35, 2848 DOI: 10.1039/C1NJ20651F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements