Electrochemical activation of carbon nanotube/polymer composites.

Electrochemical activation of carbon nanotube/polysulfone composite electrodes for enhanced heterogeneous electron transfer is studied. The physicochemical insight into the electrochemical activation of carbon nanotube/polymer composites was provided by transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Dopamine, ascorbic acid, NADH, and ferricyanide are used as a model redox system for evaluating the performance of activated carbon nanotube/polymer composite electrodes. We demonstrate that polymer wrapping of carbon nanotubes is subject to defects and to partial removal during activation. Such tunable activation of electrodes would enable on-demand activation of electrodes for satisfying the needs of sensing or energy storage devices.