Hydrazine oxidation on a single electrocatalytic nanoring

Abstract

Gold nanoring electrodes were fabricated through an electrochemical deposition method involving a gold chloride solution within an oil droplet at the interface of an aqueous supporting electrolyte phase. The electrochemical oxidation of hydrazine in an alkaline medium was studied via cyclic voltammetry and compared to that of a traditional gold macroelectrode. The nanoring electrode produced a well-defined cyclic voltammogram response with a similarly negative onset potential and higher current density, attributed to the combined effects of gold's catalytic activity and the nanoring geometry, which promotes radial diffusion. COMSOL Multiphysics simulations were performed to model the hydrazine oxidation process and capture the influence of electrode geometry on current response. The simulations showed strong agreement with the experimental data, validating the role of geometry-influenced mass transport in shaping the CV features. This study demonstrates that gold nanorings can generate interpretable and reproducible electrochemical signatures for hydrazine oxidation. The integration of experimental and computational approaches highlights how nanoscale geometry influences electrochemical performance and provides insights into structure–activity relationships in catalytic systems.