Heterogeneous Consecutive Electron Transfer at Graphite Electrodes under Steady State

Abstract

In this report, the theory based on thin-layer cyclic voltammetry (TLCV) for consecutive electron transfer (ET) across the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) is well developed and experimentally verified. The voltammetric responses to multistep electron transfer at the ITIES are predicted by numerical simulations. Moreover, the impact of empirical parameters on the shape of the multistep current-voltage curve has been examined. The results obtained not only give information regarding the effect of the concentration ratio of the reactants in two phases and the thin-layer thickness on multistep electron transfer, but also prove the excellent agreement between simulations and experiments. The model system of two-step electron transfer of ZnTPP/[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ was studied, indicating that the Bulter-Volmer (B-V) theory is suitable for the consecutive electron transfer. Thus, TLCV is demonstrated to be a useful means for investigating the kinetics of heterogeneous consecutive ET.