Carbon Black Nanoparticles Research Articles

Label-Free Identification of Carbonaceous Particles Using Nonlinear Optical Microscopy.

The adverse health effects of ambient carbonaceous particles (CPs) such as carbon black (CB), black carbon (BC), and brown carbon (BrC) are becoming more evident and depend on their composition and emission source. Therefore, identifying and quantifying these particles in biological samples are important to better understand their toxicity. Here, we report the development of a nonlinear optical approach for the identification of CPs such as CB and BrC using imaging conditions compatible with biomedical samples. The unique visible light fingerprint of CB and BrC nanoparticles (NPs) upon illumination with a femtosecond (fs) pulsed laser at 1300 nm excitation wavelength is an effective approach for their identification in their biological context. The emission from spectral features of these CPs was investigated with time-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) to further support their identification. This study is performed for different types of CPs embedded in agarose gel as well as in in vitro mammalian cells. The unique nonlinear emissive behavior of CP NPs used for their label-free identification is further complementary with fluorophores typically used for specific staining of biological samples thus providing the relevant bio-context.

Gel-nacre nanocomposite: Integrating mechanical, conductive, and photothermal advantages synergistically under saline conditions

Hydrogel nanocomposites have been enthusiastically researched as promising candidates with cost-effectiveness and sustainability for solar steam generation and flexible electronics. Based on conductivity derived from salt ions and superior photo-vapor conversion of photothermal nanoparticles, hydrogel nanocomposites hold great potentials for ionotronics and desalination. Here, we report a mechanically robust and multifunctional gel-nacre nanocomposite based on carbon black (CB) nanoparticles strategically embedded in gel-nacre matrix, a physical crosslinked hydrogel reinforced via freeze–thaw and salting out with microphase separation structures. The CB nanoparticles play double roles of acting as nano-crosslinks and providing photothermal conversion capability, coupling gel-nacre matrix with shrinking tendency in saline, contributing to synergistical reinforcement of mechanical performances under saline conditions. The consequent CB@gel-nacre nanocomposite achieves comprehensive mechanical advantages (large strength, high toughness, ductility, and rapid self-recoverability), excellent electrical properties (good conductivity, high sensitivity, fast strain response) as well as photothermal conversion capability. Such versatile gel-nacre nanocomposite provides new opportunities for flexible devices in various scenarios such as ionotronics and desalination.

Effect of nanosized carbon black content on the microstructure, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of 3D printed poly urethane acrylate

The stereolithography method (SLA) is a rapid prototyping method, which can produce complex geometric shapes within the shortest time as compared to conventional manufacturing. The strength of the samples printed via this method is a significant problem for its wide application. Adding an additive can improve the photopolymer substrate properties. In this research, carbon black nanoparticles at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 wt% were dispersed inside a urethane acrylate photopolymer using a mechanical stirrer. The nanocomposites were printed in a stereolithography device with a suitable viscosity. The results indicated that the nanocomposite sample containing 0.1 wt% carbon black showed a tensile strength of 16 MPa, and the virgin resin sample revealed a strength of 8 MPa. Elongation to break the pure resin and nanocomposite containing 0.1 wt% of carbon black was 6.36 and 7.17, respectively. Also, the hardness of the samples increased with the elevation of the carbon black content; in the presence of 0.3 and 0.5 % of carbon black, the sample hardness increased from 79 to 83 Shore D as compared to the pure sample. The thermal stability or degradation temperature increased from 316 °C for the pure resin to 343 °C for the nanocomposite containing 0.1 % carbon black; with a further elevation of the carbon black content, the degradation temperature diminished.

Hierarchical Synergistic Structure for High Resolution Strain Sensor with Wide Working Range.

Strain sensors have been attracting tremendous attention for the promising application of wearable devices in recent years. However, the trade-off between high resolution, high sensitivity, and broad detection range is a great challenge for the application of strain sensors. Herein, a novel design of hierarchical synergistic structure (HSS) of Au micro cracks and carbon black (CB) nanoparticles is reported to overcome this challenge. The strain sensor based on the designed HSS exhibit high sensitivity (GF>2400), high strain resolution (0.2%) even under large loading strain, broad detection range (>40%), outstanding stability (>12000 cycles), and fast response speed simultaneously. Further, the experiments and simulation results demonstrate that the carbon black layer greatly changed the morphology of Au micro-cracks, forming a hierarchical structure of micro-scale Au cracks and nano-scale carbon black particles, thus enabling synergistic effect and the double conductive network of Au micro-cracks and CB nanoparticles. Based on the excellent performance, the sensor is successfully applied to monitoring tiny signals of the carotid pulse during body movement, which illustrates the great potential in the application of health monitoring, human-machine interface, human motion detection, and electronic skin.

Atmospheric plasma deposition of conductive and corrosion‐resistant composite coatings for proton exchange membrane fuel cell bipolar plates

AbstractThe straightforward synthesis and application of conductive and corrosion‐protective composite coatings suitable for the preparation of bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are achieved by a scalable and solvent‐free atmospheric plasma deposition process. Small three‐dimensional (3D) carbon black nanoparticles and large two‐dimensional (2D) natural graphite flakes are investigated independently and together as conductive fillers. It is demonstrated that the dual‐sized conductive fillers strategy traditionally used for the preparation of composite bipolar plates is not transposable for the proposed atmospheric plasma deposition process. Only the composite coatings prepared from large 2D natural graphite flakes enable a significant decrease of the corrosion current in simulated proton exchange membrane fuel cell conditions while ensuring interfacial contact resistance in the order of several tens of mΩ·cm2.

Investigation of electrical conductivity based on porous hollow carbon black for EDLC

The crystallinity of carbon black nanoparticles is inhomogeneous, and therefore hollow type carbon black are prepared by selectively removing amorphous cores while maintaining aligned skins. Herein, we prepare hollow carbon nanoparticles composed of mesopores with good EDLC performance from commercial carbon black through an extremely mild oxidation method. Hollow type carbon black have improved specific surface area and an ion reservoir region can be formed due to their structural characteristics, making them suitable for EDLC electrodes. Carbon blacks, however, has different physical properties such as the specific surface and electrical conductivity. Exploiting these differences, we investigated the effect of surface area and electrical conductivity on EDLC performance.

Evaluation of Piezoresistive and Electrical Properties of Conductive Nanocomposite Based on Castor-Oil Polyurethane Filled with MWCNT and Carbon Black.

Flexible films of a conductive polymer nanocomposite-based castor oil polyurethane (PUR), filled with different concentrations of carbon black (CB) nanoparticles or multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), were obtained by a casting method. The piezoresistive, electrical, and dielectric properties of the PUR/MWCNT and PUR/CB composites were compared. The dc electrical conductivity of both PUR/MWCNT and PUR/CB nanocomposites exhibited strong dependences on the concentration of conducting nanofillers. Their percolation thresholds were 1.56 and 1.5 mass%, respectively. Above the threshold percolation level, the electrical conductivity value increased from 1.65 × 10-12 for the matrix PUR to 2.3 × 10-3 and 1.24 × 10-5 S/m for PUR/MWCNT and PUR/CB samples, respectively. Due to the better CB dispersion in the PUR matrix, the PUR/CB nanocomposite exhibited a lower percolation threshold value, corroborated by scanning electron microscopy images. The real part of the alternating conductivity of the nanocomposites was in accordance with Jonscher's law, indicating that conduction occurred by hopping between states in the conducting nanofillers. The piezoresistive properties were investigated under tensile cycles. The nanocomposites exhibited piezoresistive responses and, thus, could be used as piezoresistive sensors.

Waterproof and ultrasensitive paper-based wearable strain/pressure sensor from carbon black/multilayer graphene/carboxymethyl cellulose composite

Huge electronic wastes motivated the flourishing of biodegradable electrically conductive cellulosic paper-based functional materials as flexible wearable devices. However, the relatively low sensitivity and unstable output in combination with poor wet strength under high moisture circumstances impeded the practical application. Herein, a superhydrophobic cellulosic paper with ultrahigh sensitivity was proposed by innovatively employing ionic sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as bridge to reinforce the interfacial interaction between carbon black (CB) and multilayer graphene (MG) and SiO2 nanoparticles as superhydrophobic layer. The resultant paper-based (PB) sensor displayed excellent strain sensing behaviors, wide working range (−1.0 %–1.0 %), ultrahigh sensitivity (gauge factor, GF = 70.2), and satisfied durability (>10,000 cycles). Moreover, the superhydrophobic surface offered well waterproof and self-cleaning properties, even stable running data without encapsulation under extremely high moisture conditions. Impressively, when the fabricated PB sensor was applied for electronic-skin (E-skin), the signal capture of spatial strain of E-skin upon bodily motion was breezily achieved. Thus, our work not only provides a new pathway for reinforcing the interfacial interaction of electrically conductive carbonaceous materials, but also promises a category of unprecedentedly superhydrophobic cellulosic paper-based strain sensors with ultra-sensitivity in human-machine interfaces field.

Phthalocyanine based metal-organic frame work with carbon nanoparticles as hybrid catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Lot of research efforts are on way to overcome the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and to replace the expensive Pt/C catalyst employed at the cathode of a fuel cell. Organic macrocycles are being investigated extensively as suitable replacement for Pt/C as their properties can be tuned easily by changing the substituents. In this regard, a novel metal-organic framework of cobalt acridinedione phthalocyanine (CoIITADPc) is synthesized in pure state with good yield. The spectroscopic characterization as well as electrochemical activity of the synthesized complex is carried out. CoIITADPc is administered on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and evaluated for the ORR. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images displayed uniform distribution of CoIITADPc and hybrid composite of CoIITADPc with Ketjen black carbon nanoparticles (KB-CNP) on the electrode surface. The pristine CoIITADPc and hybrid composite electrodes are evaluated for ORR in an oxygen saturated alkaline medium, and the mechanism is understood using a rotating disk electrode (RDE). The hybrid catalyst displayed an onset potential of 0.85 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) which is one of the best values for the reported organic-based catalysts and is very close to Pt/C benchmark catalyst (0.9 V vs. RHE). The excellent ORR activity of the organic hybrid composite catalyst is due to the higher surface area, conductivity, ring-based or metal-based electron transfer processes as well as efficient π-π interaction. The hybrid catalyst displayed a cathodic ORR response with 4-electron transfer. In addition, the composite catalyst showed remarkable stability and has all the unique properties to replace Pt/C for practical applications.

Fuel cells operating as an immunosensor for cancer biomarker screening

This work presents the first integration of antibodies into one of the electrodes of a passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) to create an autonomous immunosensor for cancer antigen 15–3 (CA15-3). The anode of the fuel cell was first made of carbon cloth with carbon black, platinum and ruthenium nanoparticles and then modified with anti-CA15-3, while the cathode was made of carbon cloth with carbon black and platinum nanoparticles. This hybrid DMFC (hDMFC), which works as an immunosensor, was fed with dilute methanol to generate a concentration-dependent current.The hDMFC device was calibrated in different media (buffer and serum), by incubating increasing concentrations of CA15-3 standard solutions, ranging from 47 to 750 U/mL. The linear response ranged from 188 to 563 U/mL, and the limit of detection (LoD) was 39.8 U/mL. The selectivity of the biosensor was also evaluated with competing cancer biomarkers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), as well as with other compounds normally present in blood plasma (ascorbic acid, glucose, uric acid and urea), adjusted to the normal range of concentrations in serum. The results obtained indicate good selectivity of the immunosensor in the fuel cell.In general, the immunosensor showed a good response considering its integration into a passive DMFC. It is a good sensor for point-of-care (PoC) diagnosis because it has a good performance in human serum and, most importantly, it pursues electrical autonomy.

Quantitative measurements of changes in agglomerate size with oscillatory shear strain in polymer nanocomposites using online dielectric analysis

Shear strains during processing affect the agglomerate size of nanoparticles in nanocomposites and their final behavior in various applications. In this study, dielectric characterization technique as a novel and well-effective method is applied for quantitative measurement of average agglomerate size in polymer nanocomposites under shear strain sweep, combining with an existing analytical model. Examining how changes in filler content, surface energy and polarity of particles and the matrix control the strain-dependency of agglomerates size, two different nanoparticles, namely, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and carbon black (CB), with same average diameters and volumes were added to polystyrene (PS). It was found that larger agglomerates were present in the PS/CB nanocomposite prior to shearing and the CB agglomerates were less prone to deagglomeration under shear strain. This behavior was attributed to higher polarity of CB nanoparticles, leading to higher tendency for agglomeration and higher resistance to shear, in respect to TiO2 nanoparticles.

Nonmonotonic Variation of Rutting Resistance and Fatigue Life for Polyethylene Modified Bitumen with Different Carbon Black Loading

Polyethylene (PE) and carbon black (CB) were premixed in this study for bitumen modification. The service performance of PE/CB-modified bitumen (PMB) was mainly explored by multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) and linear amplitude sweep (LAS) tests to reveal the rutting resistance and fatigue life, respectively. Low-temperature properties were evaluated by glass transition temperature (Tg) measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) results suggested that the crystalline structure of PE was almost the same regardless of different CB loading additions. It was found that the both rutting resistance and fatigue life of PMBs showed nonmonotonic variation with CB loading. The mechanism for this variation was closely related to the microstructure induced by phase separation, CB nanoparticle aggregation and PE crystallinity. As revealed by optical and atomic force microscopy, two different phase structures, network and droplet-matrix structure, can be formed in PMBs when the CB loading changes. In particular, a double percolated network structure can be formed, consisting of a PE-rich network in the bitumen-matrix and CB nanoparticle network within a PE-rich phase. With the presence of this structure, the rutting resistance and fatigue life of PMB can be significantly improved.

Direct absorption solar collector: Use of nanofluids and biodegradable colloids

In this paper, an experimental and numerical analysis was performed on both carbon black nanofluids and a biodegradable fluid in a novel pump-free direct absorption solar collector (DASC). In the experiments, the nanofluid consisted of carbon black nanoparticles in water with concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 0.020 wt%, while the biodegradable fluid was coffee colloid. The overall findings indicated a concurrence: the nanofluids exhibited the best thermal performance when compared to pure water. The optimum nanoparticle concentration of 0.010 wt% carbon black yielded a 102% thermal enhancement compared to the base fluid. Furthermore, a numerical analysis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was performed to study the experimental rig. According to these simulations, the optimal nanofluid concentration showed a 76.6 - 90.9% increase compared to the base fluid. The biodegradable fluids did not show a significant enhancement in the experiments, which differs from what has been reported in the scientific literature. Nevertheless, from the computer simulations, the biodegradable fluids also slightly outperformed the case when the pure water was used.

Fabrication of gallic acid electrochemical sensor based on interconnected Super-P carbon black@mesoporous silica nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode

The efficient and accurate detection of gallic acid (GA) is particularly important for human health. Herein, a simple and low-cost ultrasonic-assisted strategy was proposed for the preparation of multifunctional nanocomposite of Super-P carbon black (SPCB) nanoparticles and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), which was used to modify the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the fabrication of GA electrochemical sensor (SPCB@MSNs/GCE). SPCB with pearl-chain nanostructure presented an interconnected highly conductive carbon network, which significantly improved the charge transfer efficiency. MSNs with spherical morphology and mesoporous structure exhibited uniform particle dispersion and high active surface area, which remarkably improved the surface accumulation effect of sensing electrode towards GA. Moreover, the excellent electrical conductivity of SPCB compensated for the non-conductive property of MSNs. Under the optimized condition, the electrochemical response of SPCB@MSNs/GCE sensor had a good linear relationship with GA concentration (0.5–10 μM), and the corresponding limit of detection could reach up to 4.911 nM. The fabricated nanohybrid sensor showed good reproducibility, repeatability and anti-interference property. Moreover, the satisfactory GA recoveries and RSD values were achieved for the electrochemical detection of GA in tea samples. This work provides an important reference for the highly sensitive analysis of GA in the field of food safety.

Highly Efficient, Antibacterial, and Salt-Resistant Strategy Based on Carbon Black/Chitosan-Decorated Phase-Change Microcapsules for Solar-Powered Seawater Desalination.

Solar-powered interfacial evaporation has been recognized to be a promising and sustainable technology for seawater desalination, in view of the challenge of freshwater scarcity and fossil energy storage. Nevertheless, current cutting-edge interfacial evaporation systems mostly ignore the issues of intermittent solar irradiation and bacterial contamination. We have hereby developed a novel type of an interfacial evaporator equipped with carbon black (CB)/chitosan (CS)-decorated phase-change microcapsules as a multifunctional photothermal material for solar-powered seawater desalination, based on a highly efficient, antibacterial, and salt-resistant multipurpose strategy. In the developed microcapsules, an n-docosane phase-change material (PCM) core was engulfed in a TiO2 shell, followed by surface decorating a CB/CS nanocomposite layer. A high thermal energy-storage capacity of more than 140 J g-1 was achieved, thanks to tight sealing of n-docosane as a PCM core in the perfect core-shell structured microcapsules. Moreover, a rational combination of CS and CB nanoparticles not only contributes an extremely high solar absorption efficiency of 95.04% and good wettability to the as-synthesized microcapsules, but also imparts outstanding antibacterial and salt-resistant abilities to them. These innovative designs enable the developed evaporator to gain a high evaporation rate of 2.58 kg m-2 h-1, along with an evaporation efficiency higher than 90% for consecutive and stable evaporation of seawater under intermittent solar illumination. Compared to conventional evaporators without a PCM, there is an increase by 1.03 kg m-2 in the total water production of the develop evaporator under natural solar illumination for 8 h on a semicloudy day. The resultant evaporated water presents good vegetation compatibility to meet the requirement of crop growth for agricultural cultivation. This work provides a new pathway for designing and developing the high-performance interfacial evaporators with prominent antibacterial and salt-resistant abilities to produce purified water through solar-powered sustainable seawater desalination.

Soft Electronic Block Copolymer Elastomer Composites for Multi‐Material Printing of Stretchable Physiological Sensors on Textiles

AbstractSoft and stretchable electronic materials have a number of unique applications, not least within sensors for monitoring human health. Through development of appropriate inks, micro‐extrusion 3D printing offers an appealing route for integrating soft electronic materials within wearable garments. Toward this objective, here a series of conductive inks based on soft thermoplastic styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene elastomers combined with silver micro‐flakes, carbon black nanoparticles, or poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) conducting polymer additives, is developed. Their electrical and mechanical properties are systematically compared and found to be highly dependent on additive amount and type. Thus, while silver composites offer the highest conductivity, their stretchability is far inferior to carbon black composites, which can maintain conductivity beyond 400% strain. The PEDOT composites are the least conductive and stretchable but display unique properties due to their propensity for ionic conductivity. To integrate these inks, as well as insulating counterparts, into functional designs, a multi‐material micro‐extrusion 3D printing routine for direct deposition onto stretchable, elastic fabrics is established. As demonstration, prototypes are produced for sensing common health markers including strain, physiological temperatures, and electrocardiograms. Collectively, this work demonstrates multi‐material 3D printing of soft styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene elastomer composites as a versatile method for fabricating soft bio‐sensors.

Dual Origin of Viscoelasticity in Polymer-Carbon Black Hydrogels: A Rheometry and Electrical Spectroscopy Study

Nanocomposites formed by mixing nanoparticles and polymers offer a limitless creative space for the design of functional advanced materials with a broad range of applications in materials and biological sciences. Here we focus on aqueous dispersions of hydrophobic colloidal soot particles, namely carbon black (CB) dispersed with a sodium salt of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), a food additive known as cellulose gum that bears hydrophobic groups, which are liable to bind physically to CB particles. Varying the relative content of CB nanoparticles and cellulose gum allows us to explore a rich phase diagram that includes a gel phase. We investigate this hydrogel using rheometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. CB-CMC hydrogels display two radically different types of mechanical behaviors that are separated by a critical CMC-to-CB mass ratio $r_c$. For $r<r_c$, i.e., for low CMC concentration, the gel is electrically conductive and shows a glassy-like viscoelastic spectrum, pointing to a microstructure composed of a percolated network of CB nanoparticles decorated by CMC. In contrast, gels with CMC concentration larger than $r_c$ are non-conductive, indicating that the CB nanoparticles are dispersed in the cellulose gum matrix as isolated clusters, and act as physical crosslinkers of the CMC network, hence providing mechanical rigidity to the composite. Moreover, in the concentration range, $r>r_c$ CB-CMC gels display a power-law viscoelastic spectrum that depends strongly on the CMC concentration. These relaxation spectra can be rescaled onto a master curve that exhibits a power-law scaling in the high-frequency limit, with an exponent that follows Zimm theory, showing that CMC plays a key role in the gel viscoelastic properties for $r>r_c$. Our results offer a characterization of CB-CMC dispersions that will be useful for designing nanocomposites based on hydrophobic interactions.

Using low-cost disposable immunosensor based on flexible PET screen-printed electrode modified with carbon black and gold nanoparticles for sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2

To help meet the global demand for reliable and inexpensive COVID-19 testing and environmental analysis of SARS-CoV-2, the present work reports the development and application of a highly efficient disposable electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical and environmental matrices. The sensor developed is composed of a screen-printed electrode (SPE) array which was constructed using conductive carbon ink printed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate made from disposable soft drink bottles. The recognition site (Spike S1 Antibody (anti-SP Ab)) was covalently immobilized on the working electrode surface, which was effectively modified with carbon black (CB) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The immunosensing material was subjected to a multi-technique characterization analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elemental analysis via energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The electrochemical characterization of the electrode surface and analytical measurements were performed using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV). The immunosensor was easily applied for the conduct of rapid diagnoses or accurate quantitative environmental analyses by setting the incubation period to 10 min or 120 min. Under optimized conditions, the biosensor presented limits of detection (LODs) of 101 fg mL−1 and 46.2 fg mL−1 for 10 min and 120 min incubation periods, respectively; in addition, the sensor was successfully applied for SARS-CoV-2 detection and quantification in clinical and environmental samples. Considering the costs of all the raw materials required for manufacturing 200 units of the AuNP-CB/PET-SPE immunosensor, the production cost per unit is 0.29 USD.

Facile and Economical Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Flexible Resistive Strain Sensors for Human Motion Detection

Superhydrophobic flexible strain sensors have great application value in the fields of personal health monitoring, human motion detection, and soft robotics due to their good flexibility and high sensitivity. However, complicated preparation processes and costly processing procedures have limited their development. To overcome these limitations, in this work we develop a facile and low-cost method for fabricating superhydrophobic flexible strain sensor via spraying carbon black (CB) nanoparticles dispersed in a thermoplastic elastomer (SEBS) solution on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) flexible substrate. The prepared strain sensor had a large water contact angle of 153 ± 2.83° and a small rolling angle of 8.5 ± 1.04°, and exhibited excellent self-cleaning property. Due to the excellent superhydrophobicity, aqueous acid, salt, and alkali could quickly roll off the flexible strain sensor. In addition, the sensor showed excellent sensitivity (gauge factor (GF) of 5.4–7.35), wide sensing ranges (stretching: over 70%), good linearity (three linear regions), low hysteresis (hysteresis error of 4.8%), and a stable response over 100 stretching-releasing cycles. Moreover, the sensor was also capable of effectively detecting human motion signals like finger bending and wrist bending, showing promising application prospects in wearable electronic devices, personalized health monitoring, etc.

Surface-treated carbon black for durable, efficient, continuous flow electrode capacitive deionization

Flow electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) offers a potential solution to desalinate brackish water efficiently with low energy consumption. Optimizing the flow electrode materials is essential for improving the FCDI performance. Carbon black (CB) slurry is an ideal candidate for use as flow electrode, owing to its excellent conductivity and large specific surface that benefit with efficient ion capacitive adsorption processes. However, the agglomeration and sedimentation issues of CB nanoparticles in aqueous electrolyte caused an instability of the flow electrode, which remained an obstacle of this desalination technology. We present in this study a new strategy to overcome this challenge by modifying CB particle surface with direct blue (DB) molecules. The modified CB slurry exhibited an outstanding stability, with little sedimentation after 24 h of still stay as compared to significant sedimentation of the bare CB slurry within 5 min. The dramatically improved stability was attributed to a strong adsorption of DB molecules to CB particle surface, with their sulfonate functional groups enhancing the surface hydrophilicity and thus stabilizing CB particles in aqueous electrolyte. Efficient, durable water desalination was achieved using the new flow electrode, with as high as 53.43 µg cm−2 min−1 average salt removal rate (ASRR), a low 1.83 J mg−1 electrical energy consumption (EEC) and outstanding durability being obtained using FCDI with 0.01 M/5M DB/CB flow electrode. The findings validate the DB/CB flow electrode strategy for overcoming the instability problem and offer a new direction for advancing FCDI technology in water desalination applications.