NOVEL C60 ELECTRODES FOR ADVANCED ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSORS

A NEWLY DISCOVERED C60 CARBON MATERIAL, WHICH EXHIBITS UNIQUE ELECTROCHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL BEHAVIOR, IS BEING USED TO FABRICATE ELECTRODES BY VAPOR DEPOSITION, DRY PRESSING, AND PASTE TECHNIQUES. A SURFACE-MODIFIED C60 ELECTRODE WITHCOBALT PHTHALOCYANINE IS ALSO BEING FABRICATED. THESE ELECTRODES WILL BE FULLY CHARACTERIZED IN AQUEOUS AND NONAQUEOUS MEDIA AND IN THE PRESENCE OF SELECTED ELECTROACTIVE MATERIALS. THE FOCUS OF THE PHASE I PROJECT IS ON DEVELOPING A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL BEHAVIOR OF SOLID C60 ELECTRODES. CYCLIC VOLTAMMETRIC AND FLOW-INJECTION AMPEROMETRIC TECHNIQUES WILLBE USED TO CHARACTERIZE THE NOVEL ELECTRODES. THE PHASE I PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES OF C60 AS AN ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSOR SO THAT THE POTENTIAL PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IN PHASE II CAN BE RECOGNIZED.