Electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine on platinum electrodes in alkaline solutions

The mechanism and structure sensitivity of the electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine on platinum in alkaline solutions were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, steady-state current measurements, and on-line electrochemical mass spectrometry. The voltammetry of hydrazine oxidation on platinum in alkaline media is characterized by a single diffusion-controlled wave. The on-line electrochemical mass spectrometry measurements of hydrazine oxidation on Pt(1 1 1), Pt(1 0 0), and Pt(1 1 0) surfaces indicated the formation of molecular nitrogen. No oxygen-containing nitrogen compounds were detected under the given experimental conditions. A comparative analysis of voltammetric data for hydrazine oxidation in alkaline solutions on the three surfaces at low overpotentials points to a structure sensitivity of the reaction. The electrocatalytic activity of basal planes increases in the order Pt(1 1 0) > Pt(1 0 0) > Pt(1 1 1), as deduced from the onset of the oxidation wave. The structure of the electrocatalyst surface affects the mechanism of the reaction, although without affecting the selectivity. At low overpotentials the hydrazine oxidation on the Pt(1 1 0) and Pt(1 1 1) surfaces is limited by the rate of electrochemical steps, whereas on Pt(1 0 0) a chemical step that probably involves N2H2 adsorbed intermediate is the rate-determining step. Platinum is more active in hydrazine oxidation in alkaline solution than in acidic solutions. In contrast to hydrazine oxidation on platinum in acidic media, the stabilization of chemisorbed hydrazine does not occur to a significant extent in alkaline media.