Scientists from South Ural State University, together with colleagues from Moscow State University, studied the effect of nitrogen content on the structure and conductivity of glassy carbon. The study aimed to create new carbon materials with high chemical resistance and electrical conductivity. The study was published in the highly-rated scientific journal Diamond and Related Materials (Q2).
D.Sc., Associate Professor Vyacheslav Avdin, D.Sc. Dmitry Zherebtsov, Ph.D., Associate Professor Lyudmila Radionova, P.D., Associate Professor Vladimir Zhivulin, as well as their partners from Moscow State University worked on the study. The Department of Materials Science and Materials Technology in collaboration with Nanotechnology Research and Education Centre were involved in the work. Glassy carbon is a hard material that combines the properties of graphite (good electrical conductivity) and glass (high hardness). As a result of calcining mixtures of phenolphthalein and melamine, scientists have created a new isotropic glassy carbon with no layered structure of graphite. During the study, the scientists found that nitrogen randomly replaces carbon in these materials.
“A large amount of nitrogen was introduced into the new material by co-melting and calcining mixtures of melamine and phenolphthalein while heating them to 500 ° C. According to our measurements, the specific electrical resistance of a material with 21% nitrogen is a fairly small value of 290 Ohm * m, which is 34,000 times lower than the resistance of glassy carbon prepared under the same conditions from pure phenolphthalein. Thus, we have shown that it is the nitrogen atoms, which partially replace carbon atoms in the structure of the new material, introduce additional charge carriers - electrons”, – Dmitry Zherebtsov explains.
The main features of glassy carbon are high mechanical strength, resistance to aggressive media, and gas tightness. Due to its unique properties, the range of glassy carbon products and their application is rapidly expanding. The chemical resistance and high electrical conductivity of the new material open up prospects for its use in electrochemical devices, for example, in batteries, fuel cells, and capacitors, as well as in anodes for the electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide. Nitrogen can improve the durability and reliability of such devices.
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SUSU is a member of the 5-100 Project aimed to enhance the competitiveness of Russian universities among the world's leading research and educational centers. Research in the field of new technologies is among the priorities of the Ural Interregional Scientific and Educational Center (UISEC) "Advanced Manufacturing Technologies and Materials" created by the combined efforts of UrFU, SUSU, KSU, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and industrial corporations of Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, and Kurgan regions.