ICT2014 Abstracts

The effect of SiC nanoparticles on the electrochemical reduction behaviors of bismuth and tellurium was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in the solutions containing element bismuth, tellurium and their mixture. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were also conducted on the electrodeposited films to explore the reduction processes jointly. The results showed that the existence of SiC nanoparticles in the solution changed the absorption of TeO₂⁺ on the surface of the electrode and the reduction peak potential for TeO₂⁺ shifted negatively although the peak shapes remained unchanged in the voltammograms. This indicated that the reduction of element tellurium became difficult with the addition of SiC nanoparticles in the solution. On the other hand, notable effect of SiC nanoparticles on the electrochemical reduction of bismuth was not found. As a result, the electrodeposition of Bi₂Te₃ became difficult with the addition of SiC nanoparticles in the solution. The prominent changes in the XRD spectra indicated that the existence of SiC nanoparticles altered the growing orientation of Bi₂Te₃.