Is there a difference between glassy carbon and pyrolytic graphite?
Glassy carbon is an amorphous form of carbon, whereas pyrolytic graphite has a more ordered structure, with distinct planes – the basal plane and the edge plane. The edge plane is considerably more conducting than the basal plane. Glassy carbon is mechanically more durable than pyrolytic graphite. The difference is much more important if you need to modify the carbon electrode surface. The glassy carbon electrode surface is oxidized and has many functional groups (mainly carboxylic functions) that allows easy covalent modification of the surface. The basal plane of a pyrolytic graphite electrode is highly hydrophobic and has no functional groups. It could be modified by adsorption of polyaromatic units. The edge plane of a pyrolytic graphite electrode has functional groups like the glassy carbon electrode (usually smaller amount) and can be covalently modified in the same way as a glassy carbon electrode.
Glassy carbon is an amorphous form of carbon, whereas pyrolytic graphite has a more ordered structure, with distinct planes – the basal plane and the edge plane. The edge plane is considerably more conductive than the basal plane. Glassy carbon is mechanically more durable than pyrolytic graphite.
Glassy carbon is an amorphous form of carbon, whereas pyrolytic graphite has a more ordered structure, with distinct planes – the basal plane and the edge plane. The edge plane is considerably more conducting than the basal plane. Glassy carbon is mechanically more durable than pyrolytic graphite.
