Abstract

This review reports recent advances in Metallic nanostructures based electrochemical sensors. Interesting aspects of NPs include size and shape-dependent interatomic bond distances, melting points, chemical reactivity, and optical and electronic properties. The small size of Metallic nanostructures has allowed nanoscale electrochemical processes to be probed. Electrochemical characteristics can be related directly to other properties of the Metallic nanostructures. The challenge of ultimately measuring the electrochemical behavior of individual Metallic nanostructures is leading to imaginative experiments that have an impact on electrochemistry in general, as well as broader surface and colloid science, as we highlight in this Review. One of the largest applications of Metallic nanostructures is in electrocatalysis, the field of catalysis concerned with reactions that involve charge transfer at the interface between a solid catalyst and an electrolyte. A key aspect to the study of Metallic nanostructures as electrocatalysts is the preparation and characterization of nanoparticulate electrodes, which often consist of Metallic nanostructures dispersed on a support material. In such electrodes, the Metallic nanostructures support plays a number of roles. It acts as a conductive bridge, contacting the Metallic nanostructures to an external electronic circuit. The support acts to disperse the Metallic nanostructures, to limit agglomeration, and maintain the high surface-to-volume ratio desired.

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