Electrocatalytic Activity of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Cups

The electrochemical activity of stacked nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube cups (NCNCs) has been explored in comparison to commercial Pt-decorated carbon nanotubes. The nanocup catalyst has demonstrated comparable performance to that of Pt catalyst in oxygen reduction reaction. In addition to effectively catalyzing O-2 reduction, the NCNC electrodes have been used for H2O2 oxidation and consequently for glucose detection when NCNCs were functionalized with glucose oxidase (GOx). Creating the catalysts entirety free of precious metals is of great importance for tow-cost fuel cells and biosensors.