From the article: | Quote: | Dai and research associates Shuangyin Wang and Dingshan Yu found that by simply soaking carbon nanotubes in a water solution of the polymer
polydiallyldimethylammoniumn chloride for a couple of hours, the polymer coats the nanotube surface and pulls an electron partially from the carbon,
creating a net positive charge.
They placed the nanotubes on the cathode of an alkaline fuel cell. There, the charged material acts as a catalyst for the oxygen-reduction reaction
that produces electricity while electrochemically combining hydrogen and oxygen. |
As I understand this, it
seems they've made some sort of radial electret, with a positive charge on the inside of the tube and a negative one out the outside. The negative
outside charge would act similarly to an electron-donating group. Attached to a cathode, it donates and keeps on donating, creating a not just a
current path, but one that alters electronic distribution at its surface.
Ideas?
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