A Carbon Electrode Functionalized by a Tricopper Cluster Complex: Overcoming Overpotential and Production of Hydrogen Peroxide in the Oxygen Reduction Reaction |
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| Authors: | Dr Natarajan Thiyagarajan Dr Damodar Janmanchi Dr Yi‐Fang Tsai Wondemagegn Hailemichael Wanna Dr Ravirala Ramu Prof?Dr Sunney I Chan Prof?Dr Jyh‐Myng Zen Prof?Dr Steve S‐F Yu |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei, Taiwan) (R.O.C;2. Department of Chemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 402, Taiwan) (R.O.C. |
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| Abstract: | A study of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on a screen printed carbon electrode surface mediated by the tricopper cluster complex Cu3(7‐N‐Etppz(CH2OH)) dispersed on electrochemically reduced carbon black, where 7‐N‐Etppz(CH2OH) is the ligand 3,3′‐(6‐(hydroxymethyl)‐1,4‐diazepane‐1,4‐diyl)bis(1‐(4‐ethyl piperazin‐1‐yl)propan‐2‐ol), is described. Onset oxygen reduction potentials of about 0.92 V and about 0.77 V are observed at pH 13 and pH 7 vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode, which are comparable to the best values reported for any synthetic copper complex. Based on half‐wave potentials (E1/2), the corresponding overpotentials are about 0.42 V and about 0.68 V, respectively. Kinetic studies indicate that the trinuclear copper catalyst can accomplish the 4 e? reduction of O2 efficiently and the ORR is accompanied by the production of only small amounts of H2O2. The involvement of the copper triad in the O2 activation process is also verified. |
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| Keywords: | carbon electrodes cluster complexes copper overpotential oxygen reduction reaction |
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