Carbon Nanoparticle Composites based Electrochemical Sensors

Carbon materials are broadly applied for modified electrodes in electroanalysis. Recently, the new range of nanocarbons has extended interesting developments in electrochemical sensing. It can be related to the advantages of nanocarbons like significant high surface area, high electrical conductivity, high level of interfacial edge sites and reactive surface sites. Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) are well known for many years (e.g.,as carbon black) and they have been widely used in industry for example as filler and pigments. Nevertheless, these carbon nanoparticles similar to metal nanoparticles are very interesting building blocks in thin film electrode systems and their high level of interfacial edge sites are potentially beneficial in electrochemical processes. Typical particle sizes for commercial blacks are 1 to 50 nm in diameter with a high surface area accessible for chemical functionalization and ideal for effective interaction with redox active species. Functionalization of CNPs and fabrication of CNP composites resulted a great potential to fabricate materials with a range of improved properties such as mechanical, optical, electrical and thermal. The surfaces of CNPs are intrinsically chemically inert and hydrophobic, and they tend to form agglomerates or bundles. Therefore, surface functionalization of CNPs becomes a critical pre-requisite in the fabrication of nanocomposites. Various functionalization methods have been developed including, chemical, mechanochemical, electrochemical, and irritation reactions in order to activate the carbon surface, which subsequently interact with compounds through covalent bonding or non-covalent interactions. Functionalized CNPs and resulted CNP composites have promise as novel active high surface area electrode materials as nano-building blocks in electroanalysis.