Single Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the Nanotube

<p>Nanoimpacts of single palladium-coated carbon nanotubes on a gold substrate are studied to elucidate the origins of the fluctuation in the current–time response of the hydrogen oxidation reaction mediated at its surface. The chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetric responses from a single...

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Main Authors: Hodson, H, Li, X, Batchelor-McAuley, C, Shao, L, Compton, R
Format: Journal article
Published: American Chemical Society 2016
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author Hodson, H
Li, X
Batchelor-McAuley, C
Shao, L
Compton, R
author_facet Hodson, H
Li, X
Batchelor-McAuley, C
Shao, L
Compton, R
author_sort Hodson, H
collection OXFORD
description <p>Nanoimpacts of single palladium-coated carbon nanotubes on a gold substrate are studied to elucidate the origins of the fluctuation in the current–time response of the hydrogen oxidation reaction mediated at its surface. The chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetric responses from a single nanotube immobilized on the gold surface were compared to analogous data on a carbon substrate to determine the possible influence of substrate material on the nanotube–electrode electrical contact. No significant distinction between the gold and carbon was found, indicating in light of the considerable differences in the substrate materials’ intrinsic electronic structures that it is the nanomotion of a nanotube at the electrode surface which is likely responsible for the observed current modulation. This nanomotion creates a varying contact resistance, to which the noise in the current–time signal of the mediated reaction is attributed. In addition, stochastic ex-situ adsorption of single nanotubes onto the gold electrode followed by careful drying of the electrode surface was found to drastically reduce the current fluctuation, again implying that a contact resistance arising from physical motion of the nanotube at the electrode is responsible for the modulation of current.</p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:17cc5a35-1f53-4931-8d93-d1012bf337b72022-03-26T10:39:34ZSingle Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the NanotubeJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:17cc5a35-1f53-4931-8d93-d1012bf337b7Symplectic Elements at OxfordAmerican Chemical Society2016Hodson, HLi, XBatchelor-McAuley, CShao, LCompton, R<p>Nanoimpacts of single palladium-coated carbon nanotubes on a gold substrate are studied to elucidate the origins of the fluctuation in the current–time response of the hydrogen oxidation reaction mediated at its surface. The chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetric responses from a single nanotube immobilized on the gold surface were compared to analogous data on a carbon substrate to determine the possible influence of substrate material on the nanotube–electrode electrical contact. No significant distinction between the gold and carbon was found, indicating in light of the considerable differences in the substrate materials’ intrinsic electronic structures that it is the nanomotion of a nanotube at the electrode surface which is likely responsible for the observed current modulation. This nanomotion creates a varying contact resistance, to which the noise in the current–time signal of the mediated reaction is attributed. In addition, stochastic ex-situ adsorption of single nanotubes onto the gold electrode followed by careful drying of the electrode surface was found to drastically reduce the current fluctuation, again implying that a contact resistance arising from physical motion of the nanotube at the electrode is responsible for the modulation of current.</p>
spellingShingle Hodson, H
Li, X
Batchelor-McAuley, C
Shao, L
Compton, R
Single Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the Nanotube
title Single Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the Nanotube
title_full Single Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the Nanotube
title_fullStr Single Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the Nanotube
title_full_unstemmed Single Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the Nanotube
title_short Single Nanotube Voltammetry: Current Fluctuations Are Due to Physical Motion of the Nanotube
title_sort single nanotube voltammetry current fluctuations are due to physical motion of the nanotube
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