Preparation and electrochemical property of CMC/MWCNT composite using ionic liquid as solvent

Carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite was prepared by dissolving CMC with ionic liquid as solvent. The microstructure and electrochemical properties of CMC/MWCNTs were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) system and electrochemical workstation. The experimental results indicated that the CMC dissolved with ionic liquid could be uniformly enwrapped on the surface of MWCNTs, and the coating thickness of CMC was about 5.4 nm. There are obvious oxidation peaks in the cyclic voltammograms curves of glassy carbon electrode coated with a CMC/MWCNT composite in H₂O₂ phosphate buffer solution. The MWCNT content and ultrasonic time strongly affected the dispersivity and electrochemical property of CMC/MWCNT composite. While the MWCNT content and ultrasonic processing time was 2 wt% and 2 h respectively, CMC/MWCNT composite exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity.