LI, Xiaochun, Jan ČECHAL, Lubomír ŠPAŇHEL, Siro TOSCANI, Jakub MARTINÍK, Radka OBOŘILOVÁ and Libuše TRNKOVÁ. Intriguing properties of graphite/polysiloxane composite-based pencil electrodes. Electrochimica Acta. Oxford: Elsevier, 2024, vol. 475, January, p. 1-12. ISSN 0013-4686. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2023.143615.
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Basic information
Original name Intriguing properties of graphite/polysiloxane composite-based pencil electrodes
Authors LI, Xiaochun (156 China, belonging to the institution), Jan ČECHAL (203 Czech Republic), Lubomír ŠPAŇHEL (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Siro TOSCANI, Jakub MARTINÍK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Radka OBOŘILOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Libuše TRNKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution).
Edition Electrochimica Acta, Oxford, Elsevier, 2024, 0013-4686.
Other information
Original language English
Type of outcome Article in a journal
Field of Study 10405 Electrochemistry
Country of publisher United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Confidentiality degree is not subject to a state or trade secret
WWW URL
Impact factor Impact factor: 6.600 in 2022
Organization unit Faculty of Science
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2023.143615
UT WoS 001135407300001
Keywords in English Polysiloxanes; Composites; Pencil graphite electrode; XPS; DSC; GC-MS/MS; EIS; CV; Elimination voltammetry with linear scan; (EVLS); SEM
Tags rivok
Tags International impact, Reviewed
Changed by Changed by: Mgr. Pavla Foltynová, Ph.D., učo 106624. Changed: 19/2/2024 12:20.
Abstract
Pencil leads can be considered well-defined and cheap graphite electrodes for a wide range of electrochemistry applications. These electrodes display many intriguing properties; however, the origin of these properties is not clear. Using various analytical approaches applied to two different commercially available Tombow (TO) and Staedtler (ST) pencils we reveal a causal relationship between the unique properties of pencils and their graphite/polysiloxane composite. We explore the impact of chloroform etching on chemical composition changes, thermal stability and electrochemical parameters of pencils. Using a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) various polydimethylsiloxanes in composites are revealed. The polysiloxane species leave into the chloroform solvent during the etching resulting in a significant decrease of their content within the electrodes. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data, corroborated by gravimetric measurements, provide additional proof of the presence of composite structures in ST and TO pencils, showing glass transition temperatures at around 76 degrees C and 81 degrees C. The main difference between the TO and ST electrodes is the content and composition of the polysiloxanes within the graphite matrix. ST composites have significantly higher polymer content (- 30 %) with traces of Na and S impurities compared to TO ones (- 14 %) free of contaminations. Furthermore, mainly cyclic nanostructures appear in chloroform extracts of ST composites whereas rather chain-like clusters are liberated out of the TO counterparts. Complementary electrochemical experiments using cyclic voltammetry (CV), impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the less known elimination voltammetry with linear scan (EVLS) reflect the performance superiority of TO electrodes with much lower polysiloxane content and free of impurities. High conductivity, low capacitive current along with favoured charge carrier transfer all promise a wide range of technological applications for the TO pencil material.
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