Electrodeposited films Catalysts, forms

A second, equally powerful means to prepare such materials relies on traditional inorganic polymerization tools, most notably sol-gel polymerization.24 25 A number of excellent reviews have appeared on this subject as well.5,12,17 In sol-gel processing, the functional monomer [i.e., an organoalkoxysilane such as 3-aminopropyltrimethox-ysilane (APTMS)] is combined with the cross-linking agent [i.e., a tetrafunctional alkoxysilane such as tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) or tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)], a catalyst (such as hydrochloric acid or ammonia), and the template molecule. The resultant sol can be left to gel to form a monolith, which can then be dried, sieved, and extensively washed to remove the template. Alternatively, the sol can be spin coated, dip coated, or electrodeposited on a surface to yield a thin film, which can be subsequently washed with a solvent to remove the template and yield the imprinted cavities. 

There are two widely employed electrode designs the PTFE-bound and thin-film electrodes. Emerging methods include those featuring catalyst layers formed with electrodeposition and vacuum deposition (sputtering) [125]. 

Carbon nanocoils, as well as carbon nanotubes, constitute a new class of carbon nanomaterials with properties that differ significantly from other forms of carbon. The structure of a nanocoil is similar to that of MWCNTs, except helical shape. The catalysts supported on carbon nanocoils exhibited better electrocatalytic performance compared with the catalyst supported on Vulcan XC-72 carbon. In particular, the Pt-Ru alloy catalyst supported on the CNC, which has both good crystallinity and a large surface area, showed a superior electrocatalytic performance, compared with other CNC catalysts [43]. A fuller-ene (Cso) film electrode was also suggested as a catalyst support for methanol oxidation after electrodeposition of Pt on these fullerene nanoclusters [44]. 

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