An ionic liquid-type carbon paste electrode and its polyoxometalate-modified properties

The replacement of a non-conductive organic binder with a conductive room temperature ionic liquid in fabricating carbon paste electrode has been made. This new electrode due to its enhanced conductivity presented very large current response from electroactive substrates. The novel carbon paste electrode was bulk-modified via the uniform dispersion of Keggin-type phospho polyoxomolybdate (PMo₁₂) in bulky carbons, which possessed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of nitrite. The pronounced multi-electron catalytic ability was ascribed to the used hydrophobic ionic liquid which constructed an excellent charge-transfer bridge in the bulk of carbon paste electrode, thus facilitated the intake of electrons from reduced PMo₁₂ mediators. In view of their prominent properties, the carbon paste electrode using ionic liquid binder and its bulk-modified electrode take on good prospects of the application in physical chemistry and electroanalytical chemistry fields.