Electrocatalytic reduction of O2 at pyrolytic graphite electrode modified by a novel copper(II) complex with 2-[bis(2-aminoethyl)amino]ethanol and imidazole ligands

A new complex formed by Cu(II) with 2-[bis(2-aminoethyl)amino]ethanol and imidazole is prepared, and its electrochemical properties are studied. The electrochemical experiments are carried out in deaerated pH 7.0 buffer solution through cyclic voltammetry by scanning the potential from 0.1 to −0.5 V with this copper(II) complex-modified electrode as the working electrode. One redox process is observed, which could be assigned to Cu(II)/Cu(I). The formal potential E _0′ = (E _pa + E _pc)/2, where E _pa and E _pc are anodic and cathodic peak potentials, is −248 mV vs. SCE. A straight line, obtained from the plot of I _pc vs. v, indicated a surface-controlled reaction. The modified electrode is very stable and exhibits catalytic activity for oxygen reduction. The possible mechanism for the catalytic reduction of oxygen is studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results show that the dioxygen is reduced via a pathway of four-electron reduction to form water. Chronoamperometric measurements show the potentiality of the use of this working electrode as an amperometric sensor for dissolved dioxygen in aqueous media. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 8, pp. 975–979. The text was submitted by the authors in English.