Abstract
The aim of this work is to investigate the mechanisms of nitrate and nitrite ions electro-reduction in neutral solution at boron doped diamond (BDD) electrodes modified with metal catalyst nanoparticles. The electrode preparation consists in sputtering a thin metal layer onto polycrystalline BDD by a physical vapor deposition method, followed by a dewetting heat treatment at 700 °C under oxygen-free atmosphere. Such a process leads to a stable population of nanosized metal particles as characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry. Electro-reduction of NO2− and NO3− was characterized both on a bare BDD electrode and on BDD electrodes decorated with platinum-gold, ruthenium-gold and ruthenium nanoparticles in the range 4 to 25 mM. The amperometric response was enhanced by the presence of the nanoparticles, the most sensitive electrode being Pt-Au/BDD and Ru-Au/BDD for nitrite and nitrate ions, respectively.
Highlights
Nitrate and nitrite ions are important in human health and environmental chemistry
Morphologic and Electrochemical Characterization of Boron Doped Diamond (BDD) Decorated with Transition Metals
The resulting electrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry recorded in 0.1 M lithium perchlorate aqueous solution free of any electro-active redox species underlining the capacitive behavior of these electrodes along with their potential window in such electrolyte
Summary
Nitrate and nitrite ions are important in human health and environmental chemistry. they need to be monitored carefully to ensure that they do not exceed the thresholds established by the World Health Organization [1]. Electrochemical approaches have been investigated using various reactive electrodes, bringing several advantages including rapid responses, simplicity of use, reliability and high sensitivity. In this context, the use of Boron Doped Diamond (BDD) as working electrode material features major advantages over other materials: a wide potential window in aqueous media (> 3 V), low background current, and long-term stability. Doped diamond exhibit relatively poor surface catalytic behavior, which may affect its reactivity toward these ions This issue can be partially overcome by the immobilization of catalysts at the electrode surface such as specific enzymes [4]
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