Oxygen electroreduction on anthraquinone-modified nickel electrodes in alkaline solution

The electrochemical reduction of oxygen has been studied on anthraquinone (AQ) modified nickel electrodes in 0.1 M KOH solution using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique. Modification of the Ni electrode surface with AQ by electrochemical reduction of the corresponding diazonium salt was carried out in two different media (in acetonitrile and in aqueous acidic solution). The AQ-modified Ni electrodes showed a good electrocatalytic activity for O₂ reduction. The RDE data indicate that the reduction of oxygen on Ni/AQ electrodes proceeds by a two-electron pathway in alkaline solution. The O₂ reduction results obtained for Ni/AQ electrodes are compared with those of AQ-modified glassy carbon electrodes.