Electrical behavior of working electrodes derived from Fly ash enriched epoxy

Abstract

Working electrodes (WEs) derived from electrically conductive materials are the integral components of devices employed for microelectronics, electrochemical energy storage and anticorrosive coatings. Herein, we report fabrication and comparative account of DC conductivity (mS/cm) of WEs derived from cured epoxy (A1), fly ash (FA, A2) and epoxy enriched with FA (A3, 80 wt%, crystallite size 17.87 nm). Morphology of epoxy derived WEs was compared with scanning electron microscopy. Electrical behaviour of epoxy derived WEs at identical thickness (0.25 ± 0.01 mm) has been investigated and compared with FA derived WEs (A2). Study reveals highest DC conductivity of A3 (10.65), followed by A2 (6.67) and A1 (3.90) at 373.15 K under four probe arrangements. Arrhenius plots reveals energy of activation (Ea, J/mol) in increasing order for A3 (1.58), followed by A2 (2.70) and A1 (2.83) at 100Vand 313.15–373.15 K. Present study reveals the feasibility of FA in sustainable development of WEs using epoxy binder for possible applications in microelectronics and energy storage.