Electrocatalysis at liquid/liquid interfaces

This thesis is devoted to the study of oxygen reduction reaction catalysed by porphyrins at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES). Electrochemical and spectrophotometric techniques are introduced to these interfaces in order to gather more information about the transfer mechanism. Furthermore, the reduction of oxygen and the oxidation of decamethylferrocene (DMFc) in 1,2-DCE and production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the aqueous phase, on the basis of the two-phase reaction controlled by a common ion are investigated. Mass spectrometric measurements were carried out for the 1,2-DCE phase before and after two-phase reaction with an aqueous phase containing acid to indicate the stability of DMFc and the DMFc+ over the course of the two-phase reaction. Density function theory (DFT) computations have been performed based on developed a reaction pathway. Catalytic effect of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinatocobalt(II) [Co(tpp)], 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-Octaethyl-porphyrin cobalt(II) (CoOEP) and two free-base porphyrins 5,10,15,20-meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (H2TPP) and 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-21H,23H-porphyrin (H2OEP) have been investigated as a catalyst for a two electron reduction of O2 in presence of an electron donor at various pH values at the polarized water|1,2-DCE interface. Using voltammetry, it is possible to drive this catalytic reduction at the interface as a function of the applied potential difference, where aqueous protons and organic electron donors combine to reduce O2. The signal observed corresponds to a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reaction, as no current and no reaction can be observed in the absence of either catalyst, acid or O2. [Co(tpp)] and CoOEP catalysis work like conventional cobalt porphyrins, activating O2 via coordination by the formation of a superoxide structure. The advantages of the present system is that, by controlling the interfacial potential difference, the proton transfer from water to 1,2-DCE can be accurately controlled. Accordingly, the driving force for proton-coupled electron transfer reactions is also effectively harnessed. Assisted proton transfer (APT) reactions were studied across the water|1,2-DCE interface facilitated by two free-base porphyrins such as H2TPP and H2OEP. At a water|1,2-DCE interface, the interfacial formation of di-acid H4TPP2+ and H4OEP2+ are observed by ion-transfer voltammetry and UV-Visible spectroscopy, due to the double protonation of H2TPP and H2OEP at the tertiary nitrogens in the ring. Additionally, "Ionic Partition Diagram" of neutral and ionisable H2TPP compounds is plotted to illustrate the various contributions of H2TPP.

Oxygen reduction catalyzed by a fluorinated tetraphenylporphyrin free base at liquid/liquid interfaces

Hubert Girault, Imren Hatay, Manuel Alejandro Méndez Agudelo, Zdenek Samec, Bin Su

The diprotonated form of a fluorinated free base porphyrin, namely 5-(p-aminophenyl)-10,15,20-tris(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (H(2)FAP), can catalyze the reduction of oxygen by a weak electron donor, namely ferrocene (Fc). At a water/1,2-dichloroethane interface, the interfacial formation of H(4)FAP(2+) is observed by UV-vis spectroscopy and ion-transfer voltammetry, due to the double protonation of H(2)FAP at the imino nitrogen atoms in the tetrapyrrole ring. H(4)FAP(2+) is shown to bind oxygen, and the complex in the organic phase can easily be reduced by Fc to produce hydrogen peroxide as studied by two-phase reactions with the Galvani potential difference between the two phases being controlled by the partition of a common ion. Spectrophotometric measurements performed in 1,2-dichloroethane solutions clearly evidence that reduction of oxygen by Fc catalyzed by H(4)FAP(2+) only occurs in the presence of the tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate (TB-) counteranion in the organic phase. Finally, ab initio computations support the catalytic activation of H(4)FAP(2+) on oxygen.

American Chemical Society2010

Amorphous Molybdenum Sulfide Films as Hydrogen Evolution Catalysts in Water

Daniel Andreas Merki

Molecular hydrogen is a promising candidate to replace fossil fuels as the energy carrier. Hydrogen does not exist in its molecular form on earth and must therefore be generated, starting from hydrogen-rich compounds. Water would be a renewable resource for hydrogen. It can be split into oxygen and hydrogen. Water splitting, however, needs electrical energy. If this energy is produced from renewable resources, such as solar or wind power, water splitting would be a sustainable and green process. One key step in water splitting is the reduction of protons to form hydrogen. To achieve a high efficiency in this reaction, catalysts are required. This dissertation is devoted to the development of hydrogen evolution catalysts that are made of earth-abundant and inexpensive materials. First, transition metal complexes of tetrathiotungstate and tetrathiomolybdate were studied as potential homogeneous catalysts for hydrogen evolution in organic or aqueous solutions (chapter 1). The redox activity of these complexes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry in the absence and presence of an acid in organic solutions. The first reduction peak of (Pr4N)2[Ni(MoS4)2] became more intense and was shifted to less negative potentials upon addition of an acid, e.g. p-cyanoanilinium tetrafluoroborate. This was considered as a sign for catalytic proton reduction. Electrolysis of a solution containing (Pr4N)2[Ni(MoS4)2] and an acid produced hydrogen. However, the complex turned out to be a precursor of the real catalytically active species, which was deposited on the working electrode’s surface during the electrochemical experiment. Consecutive cyclic voltammetric scans were found to be a good method to deposit the catalytically active film in a controllable manner from an aqueous solution of (Pr4N)2[Ni(MoS4)2]. Furthermore, a catalytically active film could be deposited from a solution of MoS42-, i.e. in the absence of Ni2+. Chapter 2 describes the investigation and characterization of films made using MoS42- as the precursor. The films consist of amorphous molybdenum sulfide. They are efficient hydrogen evolution catalysts in water. The films were characterized by XPS and electron microscopy. Whereas the pre-catalysts could be MoS3 or MoS2, the active form of the catalysts was identified as amorphous MoSx, with x close to 2. Significant geometric current densities were achieved at low overpotentials (e.g., ca. 15 mA/cm2 at η = 200 mV) using these catalysts. The catalysis was compatible with a wide range of pH values. The current efficiency for hydrogen production was quantitative. A Tafel slope of 39 mV/dec was observed, suggesting a rate-determining Heyrovsky step. The turnover frequency per active site was estimated.

EPFL2012

Effectiveness factor of thin-layer IrO2 electrocatalyst

Erika Herrera Calderon

Dimensionally Stable Anodes (DSA®) are electrodes composed of a metal support and an oxide coating (catalyst). Particularly in this thesis, the Ti/IrO2 electrode was used for the study of the fraction of the surface which participates effectively in the investigated reactions (effectiveness factor, Ef ). Four reactions with different kinetics have been investigated: (a) Fe3+/Fe2+ (fast reaction), (b) O2 and (c) Cl2 evolutions (slow reactions), and (d) isopropanol oxidation (complex reaction involving redox catalysis). This study has allowed us to apply for the first time in electrocatalysis the term, effectiveness factor, Ef , used before in other fields like in heavy metals recovery with 3D electrodes and in heterogeneous catalysis. On the other hand, in order to achieve the main objective of this thesis, an analytical and a qualitative approach was proposed. Furthermore, the Ti/IrO2 electrodes were characterized electrochemically using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique in which the voltammetric charge was measured at different potential scan rates, potential windows, and electrolyte temperatures using various Ti/IrO2 loadings. From the voltammetric charge, two contributions were found. The first contribution is related to the double layer capacitance and the second with the redox couples present on the electrode surface. The first reaction investigated in this work was the Fe3+/Fe2+ redox couple. In the first part of the investigation of this reaction, the CV technique was used; however, some issues related to the uncompensated electrolyte resistance were encountered. Therefore the effectiveness factor for this particular case was not possible to obtain. On the other hand, using rotating Ti/IrO2 disk electrodes (RDE) for the same reaction, the effectiveness factor, Ef , has been estimated, however, this value is much lower than the predicted one. The other investigated reactions in this work were O2 and Cl2 evolutions. The investigated kinetics of both reactions showed that the evolution of chlorine is much faster than that of oxygen. The effectiveness factor, Ef , for the oxygen evolution was close to the unity for all IrO2 loadings, contrary to the chlorine reaction that decreased with the loading. This behaviour was predicted according to what is given in the analytical approach. The last reaction investigated in this work was the oxidation of isopropanol. In this case a model was proposed based on three main reactions: Electrochemical IrO2 oxidation to IrO3, chemical oxidation of isopropanol via IrO3, and chemical decomposition of IrO3 to IrO2. The effectiveness factor, for the electrochemical reaction seemed not to correlate with the loading, whereas for the chemical one, it diminished with the loading.