Hydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage Effects

The cathodic reduction of hydrogen peroxide displays altered electrochemical behavior between silver macro- and nanoscale electrodes. In acidic media, two parallel reduction mechanisms have been reported: "normal" and "autocatalytic". The reduction potentials are reported in the...

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Main Authors: Campbell, F, Belding, SR, Baron, R, Xiao, L, Compton, R
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2009
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author Campbell, F
Belding, SR
Baron, R
Xiao, L
Compton, R
author_facet Campbell, F
Belding, SR
Baron, R
Xiao, L
Compton, R
author_sort Campbell, F
collection OXFORD
description The cathodic reduction of hydrogen peroxide displays altered electrochemical behavior between silver macro- and nanoscale electrodes. In acidic media, two parallel reduction mechanisms have been reported: "normal" and "autocatalytic". The reduction potentials are reported in the literature versus mercury/mercurous sulfate reference electrode. The "normal" reduction of H 2O2, in the presence of H+, forms water and the intermediate OH(ads), taking place at <-0.4 V. The presence of the OH(ads) allows the " autocatalytic" process to proceed at a higher rate, operating at a smaller potential of -0.1 V. We report that "autocatalysis" is absent at a silver nanoparticle (NP)-modified electrode. Moreover, experimentally obtained voltammetry at silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-modified basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes, for the "normal" H2O2 reduction, demonstrates a negative peak shift for decreasing NP size as well as a positive peak shift for increased surface coverage. Several factors are involved in this complex behavior, including size effects, mass transport, and possible catalysis. Mass transport models are developed to separate size-related diffusional effects from other possible influences. It is shown that, for electrochemically irreversible reduction processes and widely separated nanoparticles, the voltammetric peak potential (or half-wave potential) varies logarithmically with the radius of the NPs, assumed hemispherical or disk-shaped. In particular, the unusually large overpotential on the NP-modified electrodes as compared to the bulk electrode is seen to result from the enhanced mass transport overpotentials for nanoelectrodes as compared to bulk electrodes. © 2009 American Chemical Society.
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spelling oxford-uuid:ca3072bb-c5a3-43c8-8592-6d9df0601ab12022-03-27T07:05:37ZHydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage EffectsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ca3072bb-c5a3-43c8-8592-6d9df0601ab1EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2009Campbell, FBelding, SRBaron, RXiao, LCompton, RThe cathodic reduction of hydrogen peroxide displays altered electrochemical behavior between silver macro- and nanoscale electrodes. In acidic media, two parallel reduction mechanisms have been reported: "normal" and "autocatalytic". The reduction potentials are reported in the literature versus mercury/mercurous sulfate reference electrode. The "normal" reduction of H 2O2, in the presence of H+, forms water and the intermediate OH(ads), taking place at <-0.4 V. The presence of the OH(ads) allows the " autocatalytic" process to proceed at a higher rate, operating at a smaller potential of -0.1 V. We report that "autocatalysis" is absent at a silver nanoparticle (NP)-modified electrode. Moreover, experimentally obtained voltammetry at silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-modified basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes, for the "normal" H2O2 reduction, demonstrates a negative peak shift for decreasing NP size as well as a positive peak shift for increased surface coverage. Several factors are involved in this complex behavior, including size effects, mass transport, and possible catalysis. Mass transport models are developed to separate size-related diffusional effects from other possible influences. It is shown that, for electrochemically irreversible reduction processes and widely separated nanoparticles, the voltammetric peak potential (or half-wave potential) varies logarithmically with the radius of the NPs, assumed hemispherical or disk-shaped. In particular, the unusually large overpotential on the NP-modified electrodes as compared to the bulk electrode is seen to result from the enhanced mass transport overpotentials for nanoelectrodes as compared to bulk electrodes. © 2009 American Chemical Society.
spellingShingle Campbell, F
Belding, SR
Baron, R
Xiao, L
Compton, R
Hydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage Effects
title Hydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage Effects
title_full Hydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage Effects
title_fullStr Hydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage Effects
title_full_unstemmed Hydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage Effects
title_short Hydrogen Peroxide Electroreduction at a Silver-Nanoparticle Array: Investigating Nanoparticle Size and Coverage Effects
title_sort hydrogen peroxide electroreduction at a silver nanoparticle array investigating nanoparticle size and coverage effects
work_keys_str_mv AT campbellf hydrogenperoxideelectroreductionatasilvernanoparticlearrayinvestigatingnanoparticlesizeandcoverageeffects
AT beldingsr hydrogenperoxideelectroreductionatasilvernanoparticlearrayinvestigatingnanoparticlesizeandcoverageeffects
AT baronr hydrogenperoxideelectroreductionatasilvernanoparticlearrayinvestigatingnanoparticlesizeandcoverageeffects
AT xiaol hydrogenperoxideelectroreductionatasilvernanoparticlearrayinvestigatingnanoparticlesizeandcoverageeffects
AT comptonr hydrogenperoxideelectroreductionatasilvernanoparticlearrayinvestigatingnanoparticlesizeandcoverageeffects