Nitrogen-Rich Polyacrylonitrile-Based Graphitic Carbons for Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Noble metals and enzymes are expensive catalysts for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) reduction.
• Nitrogen-doped graphite offers a cost-effective alternative for H₂O₂ reduction reactions.
• Developing efficient and accessible H₂O₂ sensors is crucial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a facile fabrication method for nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) mats.
• To evaluate the performance of this material in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) sensing.
• To compare the developed sensor with existing nitrogen-doped graphene counterparts.

Main Methods:

• Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) mats embedded with carbon nanotubes (CNT) underwent mechanical treatment.
• Pyrolysis of treated PAN fibers to achieve graphitization.
• Electrochemical testing to determine sensing performance, including limit of detection (LOD) and sensitivity.
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze nitrogen content and types (pyridinic, graphitic).

Main Results:

• A high degree of graphitization was achieved in the pyrolytic carbon nanofibers.
• The developed H₂O₂ sensor exhibited a low LOD of 0.609 µM and a sensitivity of 2.54 µA cm⁻² mM⁻¹.
• XPS confirmed a high content of pyridinic and graphitic nitrogens, contributing to the sensing performance.

Conclusions:

• A simple and effective method for fabricating nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon from PAN mats was demonstrated.
• The developed pyrolytic carbon nanofiber-based H₂O₂ sensors show promising performance, comparable to nitrogen-doped graphene sensors.
• This approach offers a cost-effective and scalable route for producing advanced electrochemical sensors.