Benzene oxidation at diamond electrodes: comparison of microcrystalline and nanocrystalline diamonds

Yu V Pleskov; M D Krotova; V V Elkin; V P Varnin; I G Teremetskaya; A V Saveliev; V G Ralchenko

doi:10.1002/cphc.201101059

Benzene oxidation at diamond electrodes: comparison of microcrystalline and nanocrystalline diamonds

Chemphyschem. 2012 Aug 27;13(12):3047-52. doi: 10.1002/cphc.201101059. Epub 2012 Mar 16.

Authors

Yu V Pleskov¹, M D Krotova, V V Elkin, V P Varnin, I G Teremetskaya, A V Saveliev, V G Ralchenko

Affiliation

¹ Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prosp. 31, 119071 Moscow, Russia. pleskov@electrochem.msk.ru

PMID: 22431387
DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201101059

Abstract

A comparative study of benzene oxidation at boron-doped diamond (BDD) and nitrogenated nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) anodes in 0.5 M K(2)SO(4) aqueous solution is conducted by using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It is shown by measurements of differential capacitance and anodic current that during the benzene oxidation at the BDD electrode, adsorption of a reaction intermediate occurs, which partially blocks the electrode surface and lowers the anodic current. At the NCD electrode, benzene is oxidized concurrently with oxygen evolution, a (quinoid) intermediate being adsorbed at the electrode. The adsorption and the electrode surface blocking are reflected in the impedance-frequency and impedance-potential complex-plane plots.