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Special Issue "Nanostructured Electrochemical Devices"

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2021) | Viewed by 9716

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Dr. Rosalinda Inguanta

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Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, RU INSTM, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: electrochemical devices; electrochemical methods; electrolyzers; batteries; solar cells; electrocatalysts; sensors; electrochemical sensors; biosensors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues:

Nanotechnologies are currently envisaged to revolutionize medicine, manufacturing, energy production, and other fundamental features of everyday life in the 21st Century.

Nanomaterials are very promising for enhancing device performances for sensing, sustainable energy production, and energy conversion and storage, as extensively reported in the literature. In this field, one of the most severe challenges is to find suitable methods for fabricating nanomaterials. Over the years, numerous preparation methods have been proposed in the literature, but not all of them are easily scalable and economically advantageous for industrial application. In this context, electrochemical deposition in a template is a facile method for fabricating either two- or one-dimensional nanostructured materials because it allows easily adjusting the fundamental parameters controlling their final features. In addition, electrochemical processes are usually cheap and environmentally friendly, and they can be easily scaled up from lab to industrial level. For these reasons, different electrodeposition methods were studied (galvanic deposition, galvanostatic, potentiostatic, and cyclovoltammetric deposition) for the synthesis of different types of nanomaterials for application in electrochemical sensing, in batteries (lead–acid, lithium–ion, and so on), in solar cells, and in electrochemical water splitting. Further, nanotechnology is advantageous for improving the performances of electrochemical devices. The use of nanostructured materials is in fact a strategy employed by several researchers because electrochemical activity strongly depends on the electrode surface area, which is one of the principal characteristics of the low sized materials. In fact, a high specific surface ensures a complete utilization degree of the electroactive area of the nanostructured device. In addition, in the case of electrodes with ordered arrays of nanowires or nanotubes, the spatial orientation/arrangement of array and the corresponding interactions between the neighboring nano-units have a large influence on the overall device performance.

Prof. Rosalinda Inguanta
Guest Editor

Keywords

nanomaterials
electrochemical devices
sensors
batteries
electrolyzers
solar cells

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5698 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electrochemical Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanostructures on Flexible Substrate and Application as an Electrochemical Immunoglobulin-G Immunosensor

and

Materials 2022, 15(3), 713; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15030713 - 18 Jan 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2681

Abstract

Immunoglobulin G (IgG), a type of antibody, represents approximately 75% of serum antibodies in humans, and is the most common type of antibody found in blood circulation. Consequently, the development of simple, fast and reliable systems for IgG detection, which can be achieved using electrochemical sandwich-type immunosensors, is of considerable interest. In this study we have developed an immunosensor for human (H)-IgG using an inexpensive and very simple fabrication method based on ZnO nanorods (NRs) obtained through the electrodeposition of ZnO. The ZnO NRs were treated by electrodepositing a layer of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to ensure an easy immobilization of the antibodies. On Indium Tin Oxide supported on Polyethylene Terephthalate/ZnO NRs/rGO substrate, the sandwich configuration of the immunosensor was built through different incubation steps, which were all optimized. The immunosensor is electrochemically active thanks to the presence of gold nanoparticles tagging the secondary antibody. The immunosensor was used to measure the current density of the hydrogen development reaction which is indirectly linked to the concentration of H-IgG. In this way the calibration curve was constructed obtaining a logarithmic linear range of 10–1000 ng/mL with a detection limit of few ng/mL and good sensitivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Electrochemical Devices)

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19 pages, 11286 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication of Si₃N₄@Si@Cu Thin Films by RF Sputtering as High Energy Anode Material for Li-Ion Batteries

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Materials 2021, 14(11), 2824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14112824 - 25 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2819

Abstract

Silicon and silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) are some of the most appealing candidates as anode materials for LIBs (Li-ion battery) due to their favorable characteristics: low cost, abundance of Si, and high theoretical capacity. However, these materials have their own set of challenges that need to be addressed for practical applications. A thin film consisting of silicon nitride-coated silicon on a copper current collector (Si₃N₄@Si@Cu) has been prepared in this work via RF magnetron sputtering (Radio Frequency magnetron sputtering). The anode material was characterized before and after cycling to assess the difference in appearance and composition using XRD (X-ray Powder Diffraction), XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy), SEM/EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy/ Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis), and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy). The effect of the silicon nitride coating on the electrochemical performance of the anode material for LIBs was evaluated against Si@Cu film. It has been found that the Si₃N₄@Si@Cu anode achieved a higher capacity retention (90%) compared to Si@Cu (20%) after 50 cycles in a half-cell versus Li⁺/Li, indicating a significant improvement in electrochemical performance. In a full cell, the Si₃N₄@Si@Cu anode achieved excellent efficiency and acceptable specific capacities, which can be enhanced with further research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Electrochemical Devices)

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17 pages, 5655 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Fabrication of CZTSe/CIGS Nanowire Arrays by One-Step Electrodeposition for Solar-Cell Application

Roberto Luigi Oliveri

and

Materials 2021, 14(11), 2778; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14112778 - 24 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1681

Abstract

The paper reports some preliminary results concerning the manufacturing process of CuZnSnSe (CZTSe) and CuInGaSe (CIGS) nanowire arrays obtained by one-step electrodeposition for p-n junction fabrication. CZTSe nanowires were obtained through electrodeposition in a polycarbonate membrane by applying a rectangular pulsed current, while their morphology was optimized by appropriately setting the potential and the electrolyte composition. The electrochemical parameters, including pH and composition of the solution, were optimized to obtain a mechanically stable array of nanowires. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and energy-dispersion spectroscopy. The nanostructures obtained showed a cylindrical shape with an average diameter of about 230 nm and a length of about 3 µm, and were interconnected due to the morphology of the polycarbonate membrane. To create the p-n junctions, first a thin film of CZTSe was electrodeposited to avoid direct contact between the ZnS and Mo. Subsequently, an annealing process was carried out at 500 °C in a S atmosphere for 40 min. The ZnS was obtained by chemical bath deposition at 95 °C for 90 min. Finally, to complete the cell, ZnO and ZnO:Al layers were deposited by magnetron-sputtering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Electrochemical Devices)

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18 pages, 7534 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Hydrothermal Cobalt Doping of Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes towards Photoanode Activity Enhancement

and

Anna Lisowska-Oleksiak

Materials 2021, 14(6), 1507; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14061507 - 19 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2004

Abstract

Doping and modification of TiO₂ nanotubes were carried out using the hydrothermal method. The introduction of small amounts of cobalt (0.1 at %) into the structure of anatase caused an increase in the absorption of light in the visible spectrum, changes in the position of the flat band potential, a decrease in the threshold potential of water oxidation in the dark, and a significant increase in the anode photocurrent. The material was characterized by the SEM, EDX, and XRD methods, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and UV-Vis reflectance measurements. Electrochemical measurement was used along with a number of electrochemical methods: chronoamperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry in dark conditions and under solar light illumination. Improved photoelectrocatalytic activity of cobalt-doped TiO₂ nanotubes is achieved mainly due to its regular nanostructure and real surface area increase, as well as improved visible light absorption for an appropriate dopant concentration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Electrochemical Devices)

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