Size-controlled electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticles on gas diffusion electrodes in methanesulfonic acid solution
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Size‑controlled electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticles on gas diffusion electrodes in methanesulfonic acid solution L. Pacquets1,2 · E. Irtem1 · S. Neukermans1 · N. Daems1,3 · S. Bals2 · T. Breugelmans1,3 Received: 21 April 2020 / Accepted: 1 September 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract In this paper electrodeposition is used to obtain Cu nanoparticles, as it allows good control over particle size and distribution. These Cu particles were deposited onto a gas diffusion electrode which increased the resulting surface area. Prior to deposition, the surface was pre-treated with NaOH, H NO3, MQ and TX100 to investigate the influence on the electrodeposition of Cu on the gas diffusion electrode (GDE). When using HNO3, the smallest particles with the most homogeneous distribution and high particle roughness were obtained. Once the optimal substrate was determined, we further demonstrated that by altering the electrodeposition parameters, the particle size and density could be tuned. On the one hand, increasing the nucleation potential led to a higher particle density resulting in smaller particles because of an increased competition between particles. Finally, the Cu particle size increased when applying a greater growth charge and growth potential. This fundamental study thus opens up a path towards the synthesis of supported Cu materials with increased surface areas, which is interesting from a catalytic point of view. Larger surface areas are generally correlated with a better catalyst performance and thus higher product yields. This research can contributed in obtaining new insides into the deposition of metallic nanoparticles on rough surfaces.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-020-01474-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * T. Breugelmans [email protected] 1
ELCAT, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
2
EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
3
VITO, Separation & Conversion Technologies, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
Journal of Applied Electrochemistry
Graphic abstract
Keywords Cu · Nanoparticles · Dual pulse electrodeposition · Scharifker–Hills model · Gas diffusion electrodes
1 Introduction During the last few decades, nanotechnology has received great attention because of the altered properties of nanoparticles (NPs) compared to their bulk metals [1–4]. When bulk materials are downsized to the nanometer range, it is known that atoms in these NPs behave differently from those present in bulk metals, leading to altered properties compared to the corresponding bulk metals [5]. The use of NPs often leads to an increase in activity and changes in selectivity [2, 5]. Metallic NPs have diverse applications such as electronics and IT [6], medical and healthcare [7]. With this in mind, Cu NPs gained great interest because of their high electrical conductivity
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