Preparation and Exploration on the Electrochemical Behavior of Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles Coated Bacterial Nanowires

Abstract

The controlled synthesis of nickel oxide nanoparticle (NiO NPs) were synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method and have been characterized using UV–visible spectrophotometer, fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, scanning electron microscope and high resolution-transmission electron microscope. The synthesized NiO NPs was spherical in shape with an average size ranged between 3 and 5 nm. Subsequently, synthesis of NiO NPs coated on a bacterial nanowires (BNWs) film pre-cast on a glassy carbon electrode surface and the morphology and nature of the prepared composite was characterized using HR-TEM. The electro-chemical behavior of NiO NPs coated bacterial nanowires (NiO NPs-BNWs) was observed using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. Highly comparable electrochemical conductivity of NiO NPs-BNWs was observed in this study. The BNWs sample exhibited a polarization resistance (Rp) to be 4457 Ω and the NiO NPs-BNWs sample exhibited polarization resistance (Rp) about 2270.4 Ω. The BNWs exhibited a CPE-T value to be 6.26 µF cm−2 and the NiO NPs-BNWs sample exhibited CPE-T to be 9.32 µF cm−2. The enhancement of peak currents is ascribed to the short heterogeneous electron transfer among the NiO NPs-BNWs. The defined nanolayer provides a novel platform for the next generation electrochemical applications.