Purpose
To determine if coating the glassy carbon electrode with nanofibers blocked electron transfer.
Protocol
- CH Instruments Electrochemical Analyzer was used.
- 5 mM hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride and 1M KCl solution was used in electrochemical cell.
- The glassy carbon electrode was cleaned with 0.3 and then 0.05 alumina slurry and then sonicated.
- The reference electrode, the platinum wire, and the GCE were attached to the instrument.
- The parameters were set at:
- Initial: 0.2
- High: 0.2
- Low: -0.4
- Initial Scan: Negative
- Scan Rate: 0.05
- Segments: 4
- Sensitivity 1x10^(-5)
- Sample Interval: 0.001
- Then the instrument was ran.
- This same procedure was repeated twice before being repeated a third time with the addition of 6uL of nanofibers which had been dropped onto the GCE and allowed to dry.
- The nanofibers had been centrifued at 1300rpm for 1 minute.
- 6uL nanofibers take about 15 minutes to dry
- 10uL nanofibers take about 25 minutes to dry
Data
Figure 1 dV=.068V dC=5.11*10-5A
Figure 2 dV=.066V dC=1.00*10-4A
Figure 3 dV=.066V dC=1.00*10-4A
Figure 4 dV=.075V dC=9.99*10-5A
Figure 5 dV=.094V dC=7.21*10-5A
Figure 6 dV=.079V dC=9.62*10-5A
Figure 7 dV=.092V dC=7.45*10-5A
Figure 8 dV=.086V dC=7.99*10-5A
Results
- The sonication decreased the separation between peaks and was added to the permanent protocol.
- The nanofibers did not completely block electron transfer.
- They did cause the separation between peaks to increase and also decreased the magnitude of current measured.
Notes
Cassidy Hart
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