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(Ion Power Poster Award Winner) Oxygen Functionalised Carbon Surfaces - a Suitable Electrode Material for Vanadium (V) Reduction in Redox Flow Cell Applications
The glassy carbon surface is functionalised by different treatment methods including: i) thermal treatment in oxygen, ii) electrochemical oxidation and iii)acid treatment. The identification and quantification of the different functional groups is evaluated using X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The activity and reversibility of the vanadium (V) reduction reaction is related to the extent of functionalisation i.e. type and amount of functional groups, in order to find the optimum surface termination. Furthermore, the wettability of the carbon surface is investigated. Wettability is inherently related to the presence of surface functional groups, with the surface becoming more hydrophilic in the presence of oxygen containing surface terminations. Finally, the correlation between the relative contributions of surface wettability and surface functional groups towards the overall activity is determined.
References
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