Copper-poly(2-aminodiphenylamine) as a novel and low cost electrocatalyst for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol in alkaline solution

In the present work we demonstrate the carbon paste as a new electrode substrate for the electropolymerization of 2-aminodiphenylamine and fabrication of polymer film modified electrode. Then transition metal of copper is incorporated into the polymer by electrodepositing of Cu(II) from CuCl2 acidic solution using potentiostatic technique. The electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol was studies by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods at the surface of obtained Cu/P(2ADPA)/MCPE. It has been found that in the course of an anodic potential sweep, the electro-oxidation of methanol follows the formation of Cu(III) and is catalyzed by this species through a mediated electron transfer mechanism. The obtained current density for this catalytic oxidation is very high which could be come from high surface area of caused by the P(2ADPA) modification. The effects of various parameters such as the copper loading, scan rate and methanol concentration on the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol were also investigated at the surface of Cu/P(2ADPA)/MCPE. Finally, using a chronoamperometric method, the catalytic rate constant (k) for methanol was found to be 0.2 × 105 cm3 mol−1 s−1 that the high k can be ascribed for the fast electron transfer process due to electrode modification.