KHCO_3 activated carbon microsphere as excellent electrocatalyst for VO^(2+)/VO_2^+ redox couple for vanadium redox flow battery

In this paper,carbon microsphere prepared by hydrothermal treatment was activated by KHCO_3 at high temperature,and employed as the catalyst for VO^(2+)/VO_2^+redox reaction for vanadium redox flow battery(VRFB).Carbon microsphere can be etched by KHCO_3 due to the reaction between the pyrolysis products of KHCO_3 and carbon atoms.Moreover,KHCO_3 activation can bring many oxygen functional groups on carbon microsphere,further improving the wettability of catalyst and increasing the active sites.The electrocatalytic properties of carbon microsphere from hydrothermal treatment are improved by high temperature carbonization,and can further be enhanced by KHCO_3 activation.Among carbon microsphere samples,the VO^(2+)/VO_2^+redox reaction exhibits the highest electrochemical kinetics on KHCO_3 activated sample.The cell using KHCO_3 activated carbon microsphere as the positive catalyst demonstrates higher energy efficiency and larger discharge capacity,especially at high current density.The results reveal that KHCO_3 activated carbon microsphere is an efficient,low-cost carbon-based catalyst for VO^(2+)/VO_2^+redox reaction for VRFB system.

Preparation of dendritic bismuth film electrodes and their application for detection of trace Pb(Ⅱ)and Cd(Ⅱ)

In this paper,dendritic Bi film electrodes with porous structure had successfully been prepared on glassy carbon electrode using a constant current electrolysis method based on hydrogen bubble dynamic templates.The electrode prepared using a large applied current density showed an increased internal electroactive area and a significantly improved electrochemical performance.The analytical utility of the prepared dendritic Bi film electrodes for the determination of Pb(Ⅱ)and Cd(Ⅱ)in the range of 5–50 μg·L^(-1)were presented in combination with square wave stripping voltammetry in model solution.Compared with non-porous Bi film electrode,the dendritic Bi film electrode exhibited higher sensitivity and lower detection limit.The prepared Bi film electrode with dendritic structure was also successfully applied to real water sample analysis.

Electrochemical determination of Gibbs free energy of formation of magnesium ferrite

The standard Gibbs free energy of formation of magnesium ferrite was determined by means of two types of solid state electrochemical cells： one using MgZr4（PO4）6 （MZP） as the solid electrolyte and the other using CaF2 as the solid electrolyte. The first cell was operated in the range of 950 to 1100 K. The second cell was operated in the range of 1125 to 1200 K. The reversibility of the cell EMFs was confirmed by microcoulometric titration. The Gibbs energy changes of magnesium ferrite relative to component oxides were calculated based on EMF measurements and are given by following expressions, respectively： AG1 = -3579-15 T （J/mol） and AGⅡ =6258-24.3 T （J/mol）. The results obtained from two different cells are consistent with each other. The results also are in agreement with Rao＇ s and Tretjakov＇s data in the measured temperature range. When the Gibbs free energies of formation of MgO and Fe203 were substituted in the reaction, the Gibbs free energies of formation of MgFe204 was obtained in two temperature ranges and the for mations are shown as follows： AG 1Formation =-1427394＋360.5 T （J/mol） and AGⅡ Formition =-1417557＋351.2 T （J/mol）.