Hybrid polyindole‑gold nanobrush for electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid

Abstract

Abstract The present paper demonstrates the feasibility of application of hybrid material based on polyindole and gold nanoparticles as a low-cost and attractive alternative of electrocatalyst utilized for electrooxidation of potential fuel, such as ascorbic acid (AA) for low-temperature fuel cell technology. Polyindole (PIN) has been deposited electrochemically with and without a hard-template method forming nanobrush with well-defined wires. The PIN nanobrush has been decorated with gold nanoparticles and used for AA oxidation. Hybrid material created within this work offers high surface area, thus increasing the current densities recorded during CV experiments, in comparison to those characteristic of the hybrid created without hard-template. The proposed high-surface-area material is a promising substrate for electrooxidation processes.