Basic Considerations and Classification

In the most general approximation, carbon paste is a compact mixture of a carbonaceous material with a suitable binder, representing the two-component basic formula [1-5,10-13]. These simple configurations with typical paste (soft, plastic) consistency are also occasionally termed as binary carbon pastes [5, 16], whereas their classification as unmodified carbon pastes is a more complex task, requiring further commentary (see later). 

Similarly, the second constituent of carbon paste mixtures is the pasting liquid [4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 38-41] - also a solute [42] or even mulling agent [43] - when the traditional binders are (i) mineral/paraffin oils, predominantly Nujol  

On the special occasion of being invited to contribute to this textbook, we have prepared a brand new survey of two-component carbon paste mixtures gathered in Table 11.1. Its two parts present for the first time in such a concise way about 20 different types of carbon paste mixtures that have ever been employed — or, at least, examined - in electrochemical and electroanalytical measurements, when the respective data complete the list of all possible constituents introduced earlier. 

When going back to the classification of carbon pastes and the respective electrodes, the term carbon paste electrode (CPE) means a setup of carbon paste fixed in a suitable body, which may be of quite different construction (see, e.g., [1, 2, 26, 46-49] and many others in [5]) nevertheless, only exceptionally being reflected In naming of the electrode Itself. Historically, some of the first definitions had classified CPEs as a special type of solid carbon electrode [2, 7], later taxonomy preferred the classification among heterogeneous carbon electrodes [4, 8, 9]. Finally, there were also other ways to classify or sort carbon pastes and the 

Part A Types and variants distinguished according to the carbonaceous constituent 

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