Enhanced electrochemical reactions of 1,4-benzoquinone at nanoporous electrodes

Abstract

We report that the proton-coupled electron transfer kinetics of 1,4-benzoquinone was significantly enhanced in electrified nanopores in aqueous media. At nanoporous Pt and Au electrodes, the voltammetric behaviour of 1,4-benzoquinone at nanoporous electrodes was clearly distinct from that at flat surfaces. Proton transfer as well as electron transfer kinetics were facilitated in the nanopores by the confinement effect, which indicates all factors originated from the geometric features of nano-scale concave space surrounded by inner walls, suggesting how to utilize nanoporous electrodes for electrocatalysis.