Title : Magnetic field assisted electrochemical synthesis of Co-Ru nanorods for water splitting reaction

Abstract:

The article presents results of tests on potentiostatic electrodeposition of ruthenium and Co-Ru alloys. The tests applying cyclic voltammetry method with the use of gold disk electrode (RDE) allowed to define a potentials range in which it is possible to obtain ruthenium and its alloys with cobalt from acid chloride electrolytes. The influence of electrodeposition parameters and the electrolyte composition on the composition, morphology and structure of the obtained deposits was determined. Co-Ru alloys underwent XRD tests, an analysis with the XRF method and observations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Hydrogen evolution tests have been also performed.Then, cobalt-ruthenium nanorods have been successfully synthesized by electrochemical deposition using an aluminum oxide membrane template with superimposed external magnetic field. The length and average diameter of cobalt alloy nanorods arrays are 4,5 - 9 µm and 100 nm, respectively. For nanorods deposited in applied external magnetic field of 0.6T we observe higher saturation magnetization and slightly higher coercivity field. This method offers a convenient and efficient path to synthesize metal array nanostructures with designed composition.

Biography:

Dr. Piotr Zabinski studied Chemistry at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland and graduated as MS in 1995. He then joined the research group at the Faculty of Non Ferrous Metals, AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland (AGH-UST). He received his PhD degree in 2000 at the same institution. After two years postdoctoral fellowship supervised by Prof. Koji Hashimoto at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan he obtained the position of an Associate Professor at the AGH-UST. He has published more than 60 research articles in SCI(E) journals.