Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Chemistry
Date of Award
8-2018
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Gregory W. Bishop
Committee Members
Marina Roginskaya, Dane W. Scott
Abstract
Ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) (limiting dimensions <~25 μm) and nanoelectrodes (<~100 nm) exhibit enhanced electrochemical properties compared to macroscopic electrodes. Their small sizes and enhanced properties make them well-suited for various interesting and important applications such as measuring redox-active species in nonaqueous solvents, studying intermediates of fast electrochemical reactions, and investigating electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties of single nanoparticles. While UMEs are commercially available, nanoelectrode fabrication is still largely confined to research labs. Various methods for constructing nanoelectrodes have been reported and continue to be developed, but most require considerable expertise, and comparisons between different fabrication processes are lacking. In this work, a comparison of laser-assisted pulling and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods of electrode fabrication is made with the aim of optimizing production of carbon nanoelectrodes for single nanoparticle electrochemical measurements. By examining effects of pulling parameters, post-pulling treatments, and CVD processing, electrodes as small as ~50 nm were successfully produced.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Neequaye, Theophilus, "Comparing Laser Assisted Pulling and Chemical Vapor Deposition Methods in the Fabrication of Carbon Ultramicro- and Nanoelectrodes" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3449. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3449
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.