Ultrasound-promoted preparation of polyvinyl ferrocene-based electrodes for selective formate separation: Experimental design and optimization

Sevgi Polat; Ruud Kortlever; Huseyin Burak Eral

Ultrasonics Sonochemistry (Sep 2022)

Ultrasound-promoted preparation of polyvinyl ferrocene-based electrodes for selective formate separation: Experimental design and optimization

Sevgi Polat,
Ruud Kortlever,
Huseyin Burak Eral

Affiliations

Sevgi Polat: Complex Fluid Processing Section, Process & Energy Department, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands; Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Marmara University, 34854 İstanbul, Turkey; Corresponding authors at: Complex Fluid Processing Section, Process & Energy Department, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands.
Ruud Kortlever: Large-Scale Energy Storage Section, Process & Energy Department, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
Huseyin Burak Eral: Complex Fluid Processing Section, Process & Energy Department, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands; Corresponding authors at: Complex Fluid Processing Section, Process & Energy Department, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 89
p. 106146

Abstract

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The selective separation of ions is a major technological challenge having far-ranging impacts from product separation in electrochemical production of base chemicals from CO2 to water purification. In recent years, ion-selective electrochemical systems leveraging redox-materials emerged as an attractive platform based on their reversibility and remarkable ion selectivity. In the present study, we present an ultrasound-intensified fabrication process for polyvinyl ferrocene (PVF)–functionalized electrodes in a carbon nanotube (CNT) matrix for selective electro-adsorption of formate ions. To this end, a response surface methodology involving the Box–Behnken design with three effective independent variables, namely, PVF to CNT ratio, sonication duration, and ultrasonic amplitude was applied to reach the maximum formate adsorption efficiency. The fabricated electrodes were characterized using cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM images revealed that an optimized ultrasonic amplitude and sonication time provided remarkable improvements in electrode morphology. Through a sedimentation study, we qualitatively demonstrate that the main optimized conditions improved PVF/CNT dispersion stability, consequently providing the highest number of active surface sites for adsorption and the highest adsorption efficiency. The highest percentage of active electrode surface sites and the maximum adsorption efficiency were 97.8 and 90.7% respectively at a PVF/CNT ratio of 3, ultrasonication time of one hour, and 50% ultrasonic amplitude.

Published in Ultrasonics Sonochemistry

ISSN: 1350-4177 (Print); 1873-2828 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry; Science: Physics: Acoustics. Sound
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ultrasonics-sonochemistry

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