Electrodeposition of Various Au Nanostructures on Aligned Carbon Nanotubes as Highly Sensitive Nanoelectrode Ensembles

Abstract

An efficient method has been developed to synthesize well-aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on a conductive Ta substrate by chemical vapor deposition. Free-standing MWCNTs arrays were functionalized through electrochemical oxidation with the formation of hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups. Facile template-free electrochemical routes were then developed for the shape-selective synthesis of less-common Au nanostructures, including flower, sphere, dendrite, rod, sheet, and cabbage onto the aligned MWCNTs at room temperature. Especially, among all the synthesis methods for Au nanocrystals, this is the first report using electrochemical technique to synthesize wide variety shapes of gold nanostructures (GNs) onto the aligned MWCNTs. The morphology of electrodeposited Au nanostructures was controlled by adjustment of the deposition time and potential, the number of potential cycles, the kind of deposition bath, and electrodeposition method. Transmission electron microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the products. Cyclic voltammograms showed that the MWCNT/Ta electrodes modified with GNs have higher sensitivity compared to the unmodified electrodes in the presence of Fe2+/Fe3+ redox couple. These kinds of aligned-CNT/Au nanostructure hybrid materials introduced by these efficient and simple electrochemical methods could lead to the development of a new generation device for ultrasensitive catalytic and biological application.