title: Noble metal-free oxidative electrocatalysts: polyaniline and Co(II)-polyaniline nanostructures hosted in nanoporous silica.
abstract: An efficient nanocomposite electrocatalyst composed of mesoporous silica (SBA-15) with polyaniline (PANI) nanostructures within its channel pores (PANI/SBA-15) is synthesized and characterized. The resulting PANI/SBA-15 is capable of chelating Co(II) ions, presumably via its nitrogen atoms on PANI/diamine groups. Both the metal-free (SBA-15/PANI) and the Co(II)-doped SBA-15/PANI nanocomposite materials showed high electrocatalytic activity for oxidation of L-ascorbic acid, with very low overpotential and high current density. The activity of PANI/SBA-15 toward oxidation of L-ascorbic acid is comparable to that obtained from a conventional Pt/C electrocatalyst.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Tewodros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asefa
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D003035:Cobalt / Q000737:chemistry*; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004566:Electrodes; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry; D058608:Nanopores; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D008670:Metals; C509969:SBA-15; C416807:polyaniline; D003035:Cobalt; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D001205:Ascorbic Acid