Background
Electrochemical sensing is a compact process used to detect chemicals in aqueous solutions (e.g., water, bodily fluids, foods). It can also be used to treat pollutants in drinking and industrial wastewaters. Electrochemical oxidation can generate hydroxyl radicals, which are effective in degrading organic contaminants in water, including PFAS compounds. Electrochemical reduction can split water to produce hydrogen.
All electrochemical technologies rely upon anode and cathode materials, and often utilize rare-earth or platinum-group elements that are costly. The premier electrode is in the form of boron-doped diamond (BDD) due to its durability and electrochemical properties. BDD is non-metallic and has higher oxygen evolution overvoltage and remarkable corrosion stability. Although BDD is made from earth-abundant carbon and has superior properties compared against other electrodes, it still has a comparably high cost per unit area that limits its use in many applications.
Invention Description
Researchers at Arizona State University and Rice University have developed a new nanosized form of boron-doped diamond (BDD) that can be synthesized into almost any electrode geometry while achieving the same broad electrochemical window of bulk-BDD electrodes. This technology is orders of magnitude less expensive (1000x) than traditional BDD while still providing excellent electrocatalytic and sensing capabilities. These nano-BDD enabled electrodes can be integrated into polymeric, metallic or graphitic electrodes of nearly any size or geometrical shape.
Potential Applications
- Water treatment
- Biomedical devices
- Electrosynthesis of organic compounds
- Water splitting to produce hydrogen and oxygen
- Electroanalysis for continuous monitoring and sensing
Benefits and Advantages
- Earth-abundant catalysts – eliminates need for costly metals and is more sustainable
- Less expensive – greatly reduced cost of manufacturing
- Customizable – can be manufactured at any dimension or geometry
- Robust – provides same benefits of traditional BDD electrodes