Date

Tuesday 16 Jun 2026

Time

15:15 - 15:45

Location

BW005

Supervisor

Marc Koper

Jury

Grégory F. Schneider

Carbon based electrodes or CBE are often used as electrically conductive, but chemically inert support materials for catalysts for electrodes. However, carbon itself may be able to act as a catalyst by itself. Apart from increasing the capacitance of the electrode through it’s high surface area, there are also functional groups present on the surface that increase capacitance. This paper analyses the literature to determine what types functional groups are present under what circumstances, what effects they have on the electrochemistry of CBE’s and under what circumstances these effects take place. It can then be determined whether the carbon supports used as scaffolding are truly as inert as they are perceived to be.