Preparation and Characterization of Carbon Powder Paste Ultramicroelectrodes as Tips for Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Applications

Abstract

We report a simple method of preparation of carbon paste ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) for use as probe tips in scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Carbon paste UMEs were prepared by packing the carbon paste into a chemically etched tip of a Pt-UME or a pulled glass capillary. Carbon-based UMEs are attractive in micrometer to nanometer gap experiments and in electrodeposition of single metal nanoparticles for electrocatalytic studies because of their high overpotential in proton and oxygen reduction. We have demonstrated the preparation of conically shaped carbon paste UMEs, appropriate for SECM measurements and micrometer to nanometer gap experiments.

Construction and Electrochemical Characterization of Microelectrodes for Improved Sensitivity in Paper-Based Analytical Devices

“…22 Additionally, carbon paste is nontoxic and can be easily manipulated, facilitating the construction of microelectrode arrays. 22 …”

Carbon Paste Electrodes

“…Before stepping into the realm of chemically and biologically modified carbon pastes with all their hitherto existing configurations and variants, it is useful to overview the latest advances with carbon pastes as such, which can be accomplished with the aid of a properly selected collection of newly appearing articles [90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100]. Such a brief summary can be started with a brand new review [90] that pursues the recent achievements with new carbon pastes made of alternate carbons and binders; for example, graphite powder-based solgel electrodes.…”

“…Similarly, also ILs, ILs, still attract considerable attention, and even now some authors come with completely new theoretical models [98]. Besides these main areas, other applications can be traced, such as the case of a new CP-array proposed as the scanning tip(s) for electrochemical microscopy [99].…”

The cavity-microelectrode as a tip for scanning electrochemical microscopy

“…Very recently, double barrel C-MEs have been used to contain a catalyst sample and a reference one to precisely compare water oxidation onset potentials [12]. About the use of cavity microelectrodes in SECM, Bard's group has already shown the preparation and use of etched microelectrodes as support to create carbon paste SECM tips [13].…”