Exploration of stable sonoelectrocatalysis for the electrochemical reduction of oxygen

Abstract

A series of modified electrodes were prepared both via solvent evaporation and electrochemical cycling of azobenzene and derivatives and various quinones and assessed for their suitability as oxygen reduction electro-catalysts and sonoelectrocatalysts. Glassy carbon electrodes were modified via solvent evaporation with 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone and 1,2-diazonium-9,10-anthraquinone while edge plane and basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes were modified by the same procedure with 9,10-phenanthraquinone. The stability of the attached moiety was accessed in each case under ultrasound. For comparison the same electrode substrates were modified with 9,10-phenanthraquinone by electrochemical cycling and also exposed to ultrasound. The observed results suggest the use of the glassy carbon electrodes modified with azobenzene and derivatives via solvent evaporation as the optimal carbon based sonoelectrocatalysts for oxygen reduction in term of stability under insonation and high catalytic rate. © 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.