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- Title
Solvent-induced electrochemistry at an electrically asymmetric carbon Janus particle.
- Authors
Liu, Albert Tianxiang; Kunai, Yuichiro; Cottrill, Anton L.; Kaplan, Amir; Zhang, Ge; Kim, Hyunah; Mollah, Rafid S.; Eatmon, Yannick L.; Strano, Michael S.
- Abstract
Chemical doping through heteroatom substitution is often used to control the Fermi level of semiconductor materials. Doping also occurs when surface adsorbed molecules modify the Fermi level of low dimensional materials such as carbon nanotubes. A gradient in dopant concentration, and hence the chemical potential, across such a material generates usable electrical current. This opens up the possibility of creating asymmetric catalytic particles capable of generating voltage from a surrounding solvent that imposes such a gradient, enabling electrochemical transformations. In this work, we report that symmetry-broken carbon particles comprised of high surface area single-walled carbon nanotube networks can effectively convert exothermic solvent adsorption into usable electrical potential, turning over electrochemical redox processes in situ with no external power supply. The results from ferrocene oxidation and the selective electro-oxidation of alcohols underscore the potential of solvent powered electrocatalytic particles to extend electrochemical transformation to various environments. Chemical doping of low dimensional materials by surface adsorbed molecules has proven to be a source of electrical energy. Here, the authors find that asymmetric particles consisting of carbon nanotubes can drive electrochemical reactions by electrical potential generated from solvent adsorption.
- Subjects
JANUS particles; ELECTROCHEMISTRY; CARBON nanotubes; FERMI level; SEMICONDUCTOR materials; SINGLE walled carbon nanotubes
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2021, Vol 12, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-021-23038-7