ELECTRODE AND SENSOR HAVING CARBON NANOSTRUCTURES

• US 20100252450A1
• Filed: 04/20/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Riehl-Johnson Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Riehl-Johnson Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Riehl, Bill L., Riehl, Bonnie D., King, Edward E., Johnson, Jay M., Schlueter, Kevin T.
• Application Number:
  US12/763,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20100252450A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/775
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/36 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/154 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/156 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/16 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/18 Nanoonions; Nanoscrolls; Nanohorns; Nanocones; Nanowalls
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3278 involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0234 Carbonaceous material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

An active electrode structure is disclosed that includes fullerenes produced by conversion from a carbide. Also disclosed is an electrode that includes a fullerene covalently bonded to a carbide, the fullerene being an aligned or non-aligned array. The fullerene is included in an active electrode structure of the electrode that also includes about 50% or less non-crystalline carbon and about 5% or less of a transition metal that interferes with the ability of the active electrode structure to transfer electrons or detect an analyte. The active electrode substrate or the electrode may be included in a sensor.

Claims

1. An electrode comprising:

a fullerene covalently bonded to a carbide, the fullerene being an aligned or non-aligned array;

wherein the fullerene is included in an active electrode structure that further comprises about 50% or less non-crystalline carbon and about 5% or less of a transition metal that interferes with the ability of the active electrode structure to transfer electrons or detect an analyte.

2. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the transition metal is about 1% or less of the active electrode structure.

3. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the non-crystalline carbon is about 5% or less of the active electrode structure.

4. The electrode of claim 3 wherein the non-crystalline carbon is about 1% or less of the active electrode structure.

5. The electrode of claim 1 further comprising an electrical lead electrically conductively coupled to the carbide.

6. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the active electrode structure further comprises at least one of a binder, a filler, and combinations thereof.

7. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the fullerene is a non-aligned, entangled array.

8. The electrode of claim 7 wherein the fullerene is formed from the carbide without a metal catalyst for fullerene growth.

9. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the carbide is modified to enhance its conductivity.

10. The electrode of claim 9 wherein the carbide includes silicon carbide.

11. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the active electrode structure further comprises a protein coupled to the fullerene.

12. The electrode of claim 11 wherein the protein includes an electron accepting or donating group.

13. The electrode of claim 12 wherein the protein includes a heme group.

14. The electrode of claim 13 wherein the protein is a nitrate reductase.

15. The electrode of claim 14 wherein the nitrate reductase is a simplified eukaryotic nitrate reductase.

16. The electrode of claim 15 wherein the electrode is capable of detecting nitrate.

17. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the fullerenes are comprised of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanorods, or combinations thereof.

18. The electrode of claim 17 wherein the fullerenes include carbon nanotubes of about 0.3 to about 40 nm diameter, carbon nanorods of about 0.3 to about 40 nm diameter, or combinations thereof.

19. The electrode of claim 8 further comprising less than about 500 ppm of a metal catalyst for fullerene growth.

20. The electrode of claim 19 wherein the metal catalyst is less than about 1 ppm of the active electrode structure.

21. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the fullerenes display high edge plane character.

22. The active electrode structure of claim 21 including 0.1% or less of a non-crystalline carbon and 0.1% or less of a metal catalyst for fullerene growth.

23. The active electrode structure of claim 22 characterized by a G band Raman signature to G* band Raman signature of about 10:

1 to about 1;

5 at 514 nm excitation and of about 12;

1 to about 1;

5 at 758 nm excitation.

24. A sensor comprising the active electrode of claim 1.

25. The sensor of claim 24 wherein the active electrode structure further comprises a protein coupled to the fullerene.

26. The sensor of claim 25 wherein the protein is a nitrate reductase.

27. The sensor of claim 26 wherein the nitrate reductase is a simplified eukaryotic nitrate reductase.

28. The sensor of claim 27 wherein the sensor is capable of detecting nitrate.

29. The sensor of claim 28 wherein the sensor is capable of detecting a metal ion or metal complex ion.

64. The electrode of claim 1 having a structure substantially as shown in FIG. 2.

30. An active electrode structure comprising:

fullerenes produced by conversion from a carbide.

31. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the conversion includes oxidation of the carbon in the carbide and reactively removing a metal or metalloid component from the carbide to facilitate fullerene growth from the unreacted carbide.

32. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the carbide has at least a 30% crystalline carbide content.

33. The active electrode structure of claim 32 wherein the carbide has at least a 70% crystalline carbide content.

34. The active electrode structure of claim 33 wherein the carbide has at least a 99% crystalline carbide content.

35. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the carbide is modified to enhance its conductivity.

36. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the fullerenes are comprised of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanorods, or combinations thereof.

37. The active electrode structure of claim 36 wherein the fullerenes include carbon nanotubes of about 0.3 to about 40 nm diameter, carbon nanorods of about 0.3 to about 40 nm diameter, or combinations thereof.

38. The active electrode structure of claim 30 further comprising less than about 500 ppm of a metal catalyst for fullerene growth.

39. The active electrode of claim 38 wherein the metal catalyst is less than about 1 ppm of the active electrode structure.

40. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the fullerenes display high edge plane character.

41. The active electrode structure of claim 40 including 0.1% or less of a non-crystalline carbon and 0.1% or less of a metal catalyst for fullerene growth.

42. The active electrode structure of claim 41 characterized by a G band Raman signature to G* band Raman signature of about 10:

1 to about 1;

5 at 514 nm excitation and of about 12;

1 to about 1;

5 at 758 nm excitation.

43. The active electrode structure of claim 30 further comprising at least one of a binder, a filler, and combinations thereof.

44. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the fullerenes are covalently bonded to an electrode substrate.

45. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the fullerenes include an entangled array of fullerenes.

46. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the fullerenes include a 2 dimensional array of fullerenes.

47. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the carbide is substantially converted to fullerenes such that the fullerenes are a free standing mass of fullerenes.

48. The active electrode structure of claim 30 wherein the fullerene is modified to include a transition metal that enhances the ability of the active electrode structure to transfer electrons or detect an analyte, provided that the transition metal is not applied as a metal catalyst for growth of the fullerenes.

49. The active electrode structure of claim 48 wherein the transition metal is a noble metal.

50. The active electrode structure of claim 30 further comprising a protein coupled to the fullerenes.

51. The active electrode structure of claim 50 wherein the protein includes an electron accepting or donating group.

52. The active electrode structure of claim 51 wherein the nitrate reductase includes a heme group.

53. The active electrode structure of claim 52 wherein the protein is a nitrate reductase.

54. The active electrode structure of claim 53 wherein the nitrate reductase is a simplified eukaryotic nitrate reductase.

55. The active electrode structure of claim 54 wherein the electrode is capable of detecting nitrate.

56. A sensor comprising the active electrode of claim 30.

57. The sensor of claim 56 wherein the sensor is capable of detecting a metal ion or metal complex ion.

58. A process for detecting an analyte in a test solution, the process comprising;

placing an electrode in a test solution containing an analyte, the electrode including fullerenes produced by conversion from a carbide;

depositing the analyte on the electrode by operating the electrode at a potential that deposits the analyte on the electrode;

electrochemically stripping the analyte from the electrode by voltammetric scanning of the electrode through a range of potentials that progressively removes the analyte; and

determining the identity of the analyte based upon the voltage at which the analyte is stripped from the electrode.

59. The process of claim 58 wherein the analyte includes a metal ion or metal complex ion.

60. The process of claim 58 wherein depositing the analyte includes reducing, oxidizing, intercalating, plating, or chemisorbing the analyte such that the analyte is deposited on the electrode.

61. The process of claim 58 wherein electrochemically stripping the analyte includes anodic, cathodic, or adsorptive stripping.

62. The process of claim 58 wherein determining the identity of the analyte includes correlating a measurement corresponding to a change in oxidation state of the analyte to its identity.

63. The process of claim 59 wherein the metal ions include cadmium, mercury, and lead.