Argon plasma treatment to enhance the electrochemical reactivity of screen-printed carbon surfaces

Radiofrequency argon plasma was used for screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) surface treatment. The cyclic voltammetry of ferri/ferrocyanide as redox couple showed a remarkable improvement of the electrochemical reactivity of the SPCE after the plasma treatment. The effect of the plasma growth conditions on the efficiency of the treatment procedure was evaluated in term of electrochemical reactivity of the SPCE surface. The electrochemical study showed that the electrochemical reactivity of the treated electrodes was strongly dependant on radiofrequency power, treatment time and argon gas pressure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed a considerable evolution on the surface chemistry of the treated electrodes. Our results clearly showed that the argon plasma treatment induces a significant increase in the Csp2/Csp3 ratio. The scanning electron micrograph (SEM) also showed a drastic change on the surface morphology of the treated SPCEs.