No abstract

New carbon-based particles prepared using methane by microwave-assisted catalytic decomposition has been developed. The carbon-based particles contained a nanographene-covered nickel, carbon nanotube, and others. In non-aqueous solvent, an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the carbon-based particles treated with acidic solution in advance was evaluated by a porous microelectrode based on electrochemical methods. The ORR was compared to commercially available carbon fiber, polycrystalline platinum, and polycrystalline gold microelectrode.

Effects of interfacial interactions on the electrocatalytic activity of protein-tethered bilayer lipid membranes (ptBLMs) containing cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) for the oxygen reduction reaction are studied by using protein film electrochemistry and surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy. Mammalian CcO was immobilized on a gold electrode via self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of mixed alkanethiols. The protein orientation on the electrode is controlled by SAM–CcO interactions and is critical to the cytochrome c (cyt c) binding. The CcO–phospholipid and CcO–cyt c interactions modulate the electrocatalytic activity of CcO, and more densely packed ptBLMs show higher electrocatalytic activity. Our study indicates that spectroscopic and electrochemical studies of ptBLMs can provide insights into the effects of relatively weak protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions on the enzymatic activity of transmembrane enzymes.

We developed a new method for the production of large amounts of carbon–nickel (C–Ni) powder, which contained multilayer graphene-covered Ni particles as the main component, using multimode microwave-assisted catalytic CH4 decomposition. Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction of the C–Ni powder in acidic solution was investigated using electrochemical method. The C–Ni powder can be used as a noble metal-free electrocatalyst to implement the hydrogen evolution reaction with good electrochemical performance in the acidic solution.