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Wei Z, Elliott JD, Papaderakis AA, Dryfe RA, Carbone P. Relation between Double Layer Structure, Capacitance, and Surface Tension in Electrowetting of Graphene and Aqueous Electrolytes. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:760-772. [PMID: 38153698 PMCID: PMC10785801 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c10814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Deciphering the mechanisms of charge storage on carbon-based materials is pivotal for the development of next-generation electrochemical energy storage systems. Graphene, the building block of graphitic electrodes, is an ideal model for probing such processes on a fundamental level. Herein, we investigate the thermodynamics of the graphene/aqueous electrolyte interface by utilizing a multiscale quantum mechanics-classical molecular dynamics (QM/MD) approach to provide insights into the effect of alkali metal ion (Li+) concentration on the interfacial tension (γSL) of the charged graphene/electrolyte interface. We demonstrate that the dependence of γSL on the applied surface charge exhibits an asymmetric behavior relative to the neutral surface. At the positively charged graphene sheet, the electrowetting response is amplified by electrolyte concentration, resulting in a strongly hydrophilic surface. On the contrary, at negative potential bias, γSL shows a weaker response to the charging of the electrode. Changes in γSL greatly affect the total areal capacitance predicted by the Young-Lippmann equation but have a negligible impact on the simulated total areal capacitance, indicating that the EDL structure is not directly correlated with the wettability of the surface and different interfacial mechanisms drive the two phenomena. The proposed model is validated experimentally by studying the electrowetting response of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite over a wide range of electrolyte concentrations. Our work presents the first combined theoretical and experimental study on electrowetting using carbon surfaces, introducing new conceptual routes for the investigation of wetting phenomena under potential bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixuan Wei
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Joshua D. Elliott
- Diamond
Light Source, Diamond House, Harwell Science
and Innovation Park, Oxfordshire, Didcot OX11 ODE, United Kingdom
| | - Athanasios A. Papaderakis
- Department
of Chemistry and Henry Royce Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
| | - Robert A.W. Dryfe
- Department
of Chemistry and Henry Royce Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
| | - Paola Carbone
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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2
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Papaderakis AA, Roh JS, Polus K, Yang J, Bissett MA, Walton A, Juel A, Dryfe RAW. Dielectric-free electrowetting on graphene. Faraday Discuss 2023; 246:307-321. [PMID: 37409473 DOI: 10.1039/d3fd00037k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Electrowetting is a simple way to induce the spreading and retraction of electrolyte droplets. This method is widely used in "device" applications, where a dielectric layer is applied between the electrolyte and the conducting substrate. Recent work, including contributions from our own laboratory, have shown that reversible electrowetting can be achieved directly on conductors. We have shown that graphite surfaces, in particular when combined with highly concentrated electrolyte solutions, show a strong wetting effect. The process is driven by the interactions between the electrolyte ions and the surface, hence models of double-layer capacitance are able to explain changes in the equilibrium contact angles. Herein, we extend the approach to the investigation of electrowetting on graphene samples of varying thickness, prepared by chemical vapor deposition. We show that the use of highly concentrated aqueous electrolytes induces a clear yet subtle electrowetting response due to the adsorption of ions and the suppression of the negative effect introduced by the surface impurities accumulating during the transfer process. The latter have been previously reported to fully hinder electrowetting at lower electrolyte concentrations. An amplified wetting response is recorded in the presence of strongly adsorbed/intercalated anions in both aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes. The phenomenon is interpreted based on the anion-graphene interactions and their influence on the energetics of the interface. By monitoring the dynamics of wetting, an irreversible behaviour is identified in all cases as a consequence of the irreversibility of anion adsorption and/or intercalation. Finally, the effect of the underlying reactions on the timescales of wetting is also examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasios A Papaderakis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Ji Soo Roh
- National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
- Department of Materials, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Kacper Polus
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
- Photon Science Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Mark A Bissett
- National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
- Department of Materials, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Alex Walton
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
- Photon Science Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Anne Juel
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Robert A W Dryfe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
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Liu Z, Yap TF, Rajappan A, Shveda RA, Rasheed RM, Preston DJ. Mitigating Contamination with Nanostructure-Enabled Ultraclean Storage. NANO LETTERS 2023. [PMID: 37432931 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Airborne hydrocarbon contamination hinders nanomanufacturing, limits characterization techniques, and generates controversies regarding fundamental studies of advanced materials; consequently, we urgently need effective and scalable clean storage techniques. In this work, we propose an approach to clean storage using an ultraclean nanotextured storage medium as a getter. Experiments show that our proposed approach can maintain surface cleanliness for more than 1 week and can even passively clean initially contaminated samples during storage. We theoretically analyzed the contaminant adsorption-desorption process with different values of storage medium surface roughness, and our model predictions showed good agreement with experiments for smooth, nanotextured, and hierarchically textured surfaces, providing guidelines for the design of future clean storage systems. The proposed strategy offers a promising approach for portable and cost-effective storage systems that minimize hydrocarbon contamination in applications requiring clean surfaces, including nanofabrication, device storage and transportation, and advanced metrology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Te Faye Yap
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Anoop Rajappan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Rachel A Shveda
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Rawand M Rasheed
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Daniel J Preston
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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Papaderakis AA, Ejigu A, Yang J, Elgendy A, Radha B, Keerthi A, Juel A, Dryfe RAW. Anion Intercalation into Graphite Drives Surface Wetting. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:8007-8020. [PMID: 36977204 PMCID: PMC10103168 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c13630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
The unique layered structure of graphite with its tunable interlayer distance establishes almost ideal conditions for the accommodation of ions into its structure. The smooth and chemically inert nature of the graphite surface also means that it is an ideal substrate for electrowetting. Here, we combine these two unique properties of this material by demonstrating the significant effect of anion intercalation on the electrowetting response of graphitic surfaces in contact with concentrated aqueous and organic electrolytes as well as ionic liquids. The structural changes during intercalation/deintercalation were probed using in situ Raman spectroscopy, and the results were used to provide insights into the influence of intercalation staging on the rate and reversibility of electrowetting. We show, by tuning the size of the intercalant and the stage of intercalation, that a fully reversible electrowetting response can be attained. The approach is extended to the development of biphasic (oil/water) systems that exhibit a fully reproducible electrowetting response with a near-zero voltage threshold and unprecedented contact angle variations of more than 120° within a potential window of less than 2 V.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasios A Papaderakis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
| | - Andinet Ejigu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
| | - Amr Elgendy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, 11727 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Boya Radha
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
| | - Ashok Keerthi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
| | - Anne Juel
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
| | - Robert A W Dryfe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
- Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U. K
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Papaderakis AA, Al Nasser HA, Chen JY, Juel A, Dryfe RA. Deciphering the mechanism of electrowetting on conductors with immiscible electrolytes. Electrochim Acta 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2023.142342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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Mérai L, Deák Á, Sebők D, Kukovecz Á, Dékány I, Janovák L. A Stimulus-Responsive Polymer Composite Surface with Magnetic Field-Governed Wetting and Photocatalytic Properties. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12091890. [PMID: 32839403 PMCID: PMC7564196 DOI: 10.3390/polym12091890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
With the increasing demand for liquid manipulation and microfluidic techniques, surfaces with real-time tunable wetting properties are becoming the focus of materials science researches. In this study, we present a simple preparation method for a 0.5-4 µm carbonyl iron (carbonyl Fe) loaded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based magnetic composite coating with magnetic field-tailored wetting properties. Moreover, the embedded 6.3-16.7 wt.% Ag-TiO2 plasmonic photocatalyst (d~50 nm) content provides additional visible light photoreactivity to the external stimuli-responsive composite grass surfaces, while the efficiency of this photocatalytic behavior also turned out to be dependent on the external magnetic field. The inclusion of the photocatalyst introduced hierarchical surface roughness to the micro-grass, resulting in the broadening of the achievable contact and sliding angle ranges. The photocatalyst-infused coatings are also capable of catching and releasing water droplets, which alongside their multifunctional (photocatalytic activity and tunable wetting characteristics) nature makes surfaces of this kind the novel sophisticated tools of liquid manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- László Mérai
- Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (L.M.); (Á.D.); (I.D.)
| | - Ágota Deák
- Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (L.M.); (Á.D.); (I.D.)
| | - Dániel Sebők
- Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (D.S.); (Á.K.)
| | - Ákos Kukovecz
- Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (D.S.); (Á.K.)
| | - Imre Dékány
- Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (L.M.); (Á.D.); (I.D.)
| | - László Janovák
- Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (L.M.); (Á.D.); (I.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +36-62-544-210
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Tang B, Shao W, Groenewold J, Li H, Feng Y, Xu X, Shui L, Barman J, Zhou G. Transition of interfacial capacitors in electrowetting on a graphite surface by ion intercalation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:26284-26291. [PMID: 31602437 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp04436a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The low voltage electrowetting response of a LiCl aqueous solution on a freshly cleaved surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) is presented. For applied voltages below 1 V, the energy stored in the electrical double layer (EDL) is insufficient to drive the spreading of the drop due to the pinning of the three phase contact line at the step edges. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows a dramatic increase in capacitance above 1 V, which provides a sufficient electrowetting force for depinning the contact line, resulting in a subsequent decrease of the contact angle. The transition of the interfacial capacitance from the EDL to the many-fold high capacitance of the pseudocapacitor drives the electrowetting transition on the HOPG surface. The observed changes in the capacitances above 1 V are correlated with the cyclic voltammetry and atomic force microscopy results, which show that the Cl- ions intercalate into the graphite galleries upon acquiring sufficient energy to overcome the van der Waals attraction between the graphene layers through the side of the step edge of the basal planes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the voltage dependent intercalation mediated transition of interfacial capacitance driving the spreading of an aqueous electrolyte drop on the HOPG surface, which provides a fundamental understanding of the mechanism and opens up potential applications in microfluidics and charge storage technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Tang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology and Institute of Electronic Paper Displays South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China.
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Puyo M, Fau P, Kahn ML, Mesguich D, Launay J, Fajerwerg K. Removable Composite Electrode Made of Silver Nanoparticles on Pyrolyzed Photoresist Film for the Electroreduction of 4-Nitrophenol. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:14194-14202. [PMID: 31550887 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b02405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Access to removable nanocomposite electrodes for electrosensing of pollutants is of great importance. However, the preparation of reproducible and reliable carbon electrodes decorated with metallic nanoparticles, a prerequisite for trustworthy devices, remains a challenge. Here we describe an innovative and easy method to prepare such electrodes. These latter are silicon-coated with a thin carbon film on which controlled silver nanostructures are grafted. Different silver nanostructures and surface coverage of the carbon electrode (16, 36, 51, and 67%) can be obtained through a careful control of the time of the hydrogenolysis of the N-N' isopropyl butylamidinate silver organometallic precursor (t = 1, 5, 15, and 60 min, respectively). Importantly, all nanocomposite surfaces are efficient for the electrodetection of 4-nitrophenol with a remarkable decrease of the overpotential of the reduction of such molecule up to 330 mV. The surfaces are characterized by atomic force microscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect is also observed. The exaltation of the Raman intensity is proportional to the surface coverage of the electrode; the number of hot spots increases with the surface coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Puyo
- LCC-CNRS , University of Toulouse , 205 route de Narbonne , F-31077 Toulouse , France
| | - Pierre Fau
- LCC-CNRS , University of Toulouse , 205 route de Narbonne , F-31077 Toulouse , France
| | - Myrtil L Kahn
- LCC-CNRS , University of Toulouse , 205 route de Narbonne , F-31077 Toulouse , France
| | - David Mesguich
- CIRIMAT , University of Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse 3 Paul-Sabatier , 118 route de Narbonne , F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9 , France
| | - Jérôme Launay
- LAAS-CNRS , University of Toulouse , 7 avenue du colonel Roche , F-31077 Toulouse , France
| | - Katia Fajerwerg
- LCC-CNRS , University of Toulouse , 205 route de Narbonne , F-31077 Toulouse , France
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