Microwave heated polyol synthesis of carbon supported PtAuSn/C nanoparticles for ethanol electrooxidation

Nanomaterials and biomaterials in electrochemical arrays for protein detection

“…Under these electrochemical conditions, Au is repeatedly etched by oxidation at +0.8 V and re-deposited onto the electrode’s surface at −1.0 V. This occurs with the concurrent generation of micro-bubbles of oxygen at +0.8 and hydrogen at −1.0 V. These microbubbles act as template matrices for Au rebuilding onto the electrode surface to produce a “flowery-looking”, 3-dimensional (3D) micro/nano-structure (Figure 10a). 69,71,73 Our results indicate that the roughness and porosity of these structures can be optimized by controlling the etching time. 71 For example, 15 min etching results in maximum porosity, while the smallest domains begin to fuse together at longer times, disrupting the nanoscale morphology.…”

“…67,69 On the other hand, by decorating these nano-structured Au electrodes with other noble metals like Pt and Pd, electrocatalytic activity and stability can be improved significantly. 67,73–83 Pt is well-known for excellent electrocatalytic activity towards both oxidation and reduction of H 2 O 2 and other small molecular weight mediators 67,71,84 . Thus, we have focused our efforts to decorate smooth and nanostructured Au electrodes with Pt nanoparticles.…”

“…67,69,71 Nucleation and growth of Pt nanoparticles onto gold electrodes ensures intimate bonding and low surface resistance using only small amounts of Pt. 73–76 …”

“…Nanostructured-Au/Pt electrodes exhibit similar propensity to poisoning as flat Pt electrodes, albeit at a bit slower rate. 67,69,71,73 This poisoning originates from physisorption of various organic molecules and biomolecules such as proteins, DNA and their fragments onto electrocatalytic Pt sites, which over time can cause significant decreases in sensor sensitivity. 67,73 Consequently, this issue must be addressed before high-end applications that require continuous usage of these electrodes can be realized.…”

One-pot synthesis of highly dispersed PtAu nanoparticles–CTAB–graphene nanocomposites for nonenzyme hydrogen peroxide sensor

“…In recent years, Pt-based bimetallic nanocatalysts have been attracted widespread interests, which aim to improve the catalytic activity as well as reduce the cost of catalysts. The study found that the stability of Pt catalyst can be significantly improved after the incorporation of Au [17]. Unfortunately, the probability of nanoparticles aggregation increases owning to high surface energy of particles with diameters in nanometers, decreasing the catalytic activity of the nanoparticles [18].…”