Selective electrocatalysis of acetaldehyde oxime reduction on (111) sites of platinum single crystal electrodes and nanoparticles surfaces

The reduction of acetaldehyde oxime (AO) in acid medium on platinum surfaces is a structure sensitive reaction that takes place almost exclusively on (111) sites of Pt electrodes, and it is strongly inhibited on Pt(100) and Pt(110) surfaces. A study using stepped electrodes with (111) terraces and monoatomic steps either with (100) and (110) orientation shows that the activity of the electrode is also dependent on the terrace width, i.e., the wider the terrace is, the higher current density is recorded and the more positive the peak potential for AO reduction appears. Moreover, in the electrodes with (100) step sites, the reduction process appears at more negative potential than the electrodes with (111) step sites. Nanoparticles with some preferential orientations were also tested for the AO reduction reaction to check the presence of (111) ordered domains on the nanoparticles surface. Dedicated to Teresa Iwasita on the occasion of her retirement and for her contributions to Electrochemistry.