Enhanced electrochemical properties of graphene dots–modified nickel slag toward the [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻/[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ redox system
摘要
This study aims to investigate the electrochemical properties of graphene dot electrodes modified with nickel slag (GDs–NS), synthesized via a combination of hydrothermal and thermal treatments. The thermal treatment was conducted at 700 °C, 900 °C, and 1100 °C to produce GDs-NS700, GDs-NS900, and GDs-NS1100, respectively. The structural characteristics, morphology, and elemental composition of the materials were analyzed using XRD, FTIR, and SEM–EDX. The electrochemical properties of the electrodes were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with the redox probe system [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻/[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7) at a scan rate of 100 mV/s. The results show that the GDs-NS700 electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performance compared to GDs-NS900 and GDs-NS1100, as indicated by a lower charge transfer resistance (Rct = 305.17 Ω) and a smaller peak potential separation (ΔEp). In addition, the GDs-NS700 electrode produces higher peak currents, with an oxidation peak current (Ipa) of 182.85 µA and a reduction peak current (Ipc) of − 173.93 µA. The scan rate study demonstrates that both anodic and cathodic peak currents increase linearly with correlation coefficients (R²) of 0.9976 and 0.9968, respectively. The effect of supporting electrolytes also indicates that phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7) yields higher and more symmetrical redox responses than citrate buffer (CBR, pH 4) and NaOH solution. Overall, these findings indicate that the GDs-NS700 electrode possesses superior electrochemical characteristics and shows strong potential for further development in electrochemical applications.