Affiliation: | a“Babes Bolyai” University, Physical Chemistry Department, Arany Janos 11, 400 028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania bDipartimento di Scienze e Technologie Chimiche, Universita di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy cIstituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) CNR Division 2, Via del Castro Laurenziano 7, 00161 Rome, Italy |
Abstract: | Iron(III) protoporphyrin IX (Fe(III)P), adsorbed either on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) or on hydroxyl-functionalized SWCNT (SWCNT-OH), was incorporated within a Nafion matrix immobilized on the surface of a graphite electrode. From cyclic voltammetric measurements, performed under different experimental conditions (pH and potential scan rate), it was established that the Fe(III)P/Fe(II)P redox couple involves 1e−/1H+. The heterogeneous electron transfer process occurred faster when Fe(III)P was adsorbed on SWCNT-OH (11 s−1) than on SWCNT (4.9 s−1). Both the SWCNT-Fe(III)P- and SWCNT-OH-Fe(III)P-modified graphite electrodes exhibit electrocatalytic activity for H2O2 and nitrite reduction. The modified electrodes sensitivities were found varying in the following sequences: SSWCNT-OH-Fe(III)P = 2.45 mA/M ≈ SSWCNT-Fe(III)P = 2.95 mA/M > SFe(III)P = 1.34 mA/M for H2O2, and SSWCNT-Fe(III)P = 3.54 mA/M > SFe(III)P = 1.44 mA/M > SSWCNT-OH-Fe(III)P = 0.81 mA/M for NO2−. |