Glucose oxidation at ruthenium dioxide based electrodes

Abstract

The oxidation of glucose at RuO₂–carbon paste composite electrodes in alkaline solution was examined. It is proposed that the catalytically active species are surface-bound oxyruthenium groups, and that the latter mediate substrate oxidation via a process of cyclic heterogeneous redox catalysis. The latter process can be described in terms of a Michaelis–Menten mechanism involving the formation of a substrate–catalyst complex which subsequently decomposes to form product and pre-catalyst; the latter can subsequently be regenerated electrochemically. Hence the oxyruthenium surface groups operate as inorganic enzyme analogues.