Electrochemical Properties of Carbon-Based Electrode Materials

Carbon-based electrodes encompass a broad family of materials—from well‐ordered graphitic surfaces and graphene sheets to carbon nanotubes, nanodiamonds and amorphous carbons—whose electrochemical performance is governed by intrinsic conductivity, surface chemistry and nanostructure. Key properties include heterogeneous electron-transfer kinetics, capacitive behaviour and the balance between outer‐sphere and inner‐sphere redox processes. Graphitic domains facilitate rapid electron hopping, while edge defects and heteroatom dopants introduce active sites for specific adsorption and catalysis. Surface functionalisation with oxygen‐, nitrogen‐ or other heteroatom‐containing groups can tailor wettability, double‐layer capacitance and selectivity towards target redox species. In energy storage applications, high surface area and tunable pore networks support rapid charge accumulation and long cycle life. In sensing, the combination of conductive carbon scaffolds and tailored surface groups enables sensitive and selective detection of biomolecules and environmental analytes. Recent advances in microfabrication and plasma treatments have further expanded the ability to design carbon electrodes with predictable electrochemical signatures, underscoring their global significance in sustainable energy, environmental monitoring and healthcare diagnostics.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have challenged the long‐standing belief that ascorbic acid uniformly interferes with the electrochemical detection of neurotransmitters. It has been shown that the rapid decay of ascorbic acid in biological media allows for effective dopamine monitoring at physiologically relevant concentrations using unmodified single‐walled carbon nanotube electrodes. By exploiting the natural decrease of ascorbate over time, the overlap in oxidation potentials is minimised, enabling linear and interference‐free detection of dopamine in complex organoid culture media. Additionally, the regenerative interaction between ascorbate and dopamine, once considered a hindrance, can be controlled by experimental design to eliminate signal distortion, thereby refining protocols for real‐time neurochemical sensing.

Electrochemical Properties of Carbon-Based Electrode Materials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical properties of carbon-based electrode materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Outer‐sphere redox reaction: Electron transfer between electrode and redox species without specific adsorption or chemical bonding to the surface.

Inner‐sphere redox reaction: Electron transfer involving a transient chemical linkage or adsorption of the redox species at the electrode surface.

Heteroatom doping: Incorporation of atoms other than carbon (e.g. N, O) into the carbon lattice to introduce active sites and modify electronic properties.

Capacitance: The ability of an electrode to store electrical charge at the interface with an electrolyte.

Surface functionalisation: Chemical modification of the electrode surface to introduce specific functional groups that influence reactivity, wettability and selectivity.

References

1. Structure-property relationships in carbon electrochemistry. Carbon (2022).
2. What Determines the Electrochemical Properties of Nitrogenated Amorphous Carbon Thin Films?. Chemistry of Materials (2021).
3. Controllable Electrochemical Activities by Oxidative Treatment toward Inner‐Sphere Redox Systems at N‐Doped Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Films. International Journal of Electrochemistry (2011).
4. Impact of plasma-induced surface chemistry on electrochemical properties of microfabricated pyrolytic carbon electrodes. Electrochimica Acta (2022).
5. Ascorbic acid does not necessarily interfere with the electrochemical detection of dopamine. Scientific Reports (2022).