Electrochemical behaviour of silver nanoparticle-MWCNTs hybrid nanostructures synthesized via a simple method

As the synthesis via completely green method is emerging, determination of the electrochemistry properties of the as-synthesized nanomaterials has become an important aspect of research. We herein investigate for the first time the inherent electrochemistry of silver nanoparticle modified multiwall carbon nanotubes (Ag NPs-MWCNTs) hybrid nanocomposites that was synthesized via a simple method using cyclic voltammetry (CV) as a diagnostic technique. The result obtained was compared with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), acid functionalized MWCNTs (MWCNT-COOH) and as-synthesized silver nanoparticle (Ag NPs) modified on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE). A detailed analysis of the cyclic voltammograms gave fundamental electrochemical parameters including the transfer coefficient (α) and the diffusion coefficient (D). The transfer coefficient for the Ag NPsMWCNTs/GCE was found to be greater than that of MWCNTs/GCE while the diffusion coefficient of Ag-NPs-MWCNTs/GCE was calculated to be 5.11 ×10-5 cm 2 s -1 which is higher than both pristine MWCNTs/GCE and MWCNT-COOH/GCE.The authors thank the Department of Science and Technology (DST Nano mission (SR/NM/NS- 54/2009)), National research foundation (NRF) South Africa, under the Nanotechnology Flagship Programme (NFP, Grant no: 97983) for financial support. The financial support from UGCGovernment of India through SAP and DST -Government of India through FIST and PURSE programme are also gratefully acknowledg