AFM studies and electrochemical characterization of boron-doped diamond surfaces modified with metal oxides by the Sol-Gel method

Abstract

Continuing previous investigations, direct surface modifications of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes with metal oxides (PtOx, RuO2, IrO2 and PbO2) and with some mixed composites were carried out by the Sol-Gel technique. The materials were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine their surface topologies and by electrochemical techniques to establish the catalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and also, for the PtOx and PtOx-RuO2 composites, the ethanol oxidation reactions in acid media. The stability of PtOx coating covered by a Nafion® film was also tested by long-term operation. The AFM results indicated sites of heterogeneous deposition and the electrochemical studies demonstrated that the active surface area changed considerably with the proposed method of modification. The IrO2/BDD electrode showed the best performance to the OER with the onset of the oxidation current at ~1.4 V, a value 200 mV lower than for the PtOx/BDD electrode. The enhanced stability of PtOx/BDD electrodes achieved by the application of a Nafion® film and already reported in acid media was further proved using the ethanol oxidation reaction. Only a small loss of activity (6%) was observed after 4-hours electrolysis while one-thousand voltammetric cycles left the surface practically unchanged. In addition, preliminary studies for the same reaction on PtOx/BDD and PtOx-RuO2/BDD electrodes demonstrated the excellent activity of these mixed Sol-Gel coatings on the BDD surface and the possibility of further investigations for practical applications.

Keywords

• modified diamond electrodes
• Sol-Gel technique
• metal oxides