Electrochemical oxidation of isopropanol using a nickel foam electrode

•A Ni foam electrode is used for the anodic conversion of isopropanol to acetone.•The reaction is studied using CV in a variety of experimental conditions.•Ni foam sustains a higher j than bulk Ni for the oxidation of isopropanol.

In this study, a nickel foam electrode is used for the anodic conversion of isopropanol to acetone. The process is studied under well-defined experimental conditions including variation of the concentration of isopropanol, variation in the strength of the supporting electrolyte (aqueous KOH), different cyclic voltammetry scan rates, and different temperatures. The outcome of these experiments demonstrates that the isopropanol oxidation reaction is dependent on the presence of the β-NiOOH surface species, which is generated at potentials near the potential of the isopropanol oxidation reaction. However, the two processes do not occur at the exact same potential and their respective behaviors under the various experimental conditions can be understood independently. Nickel foams are successfully applied as the anode material for controlled-potential electrolysis of isopropanol to form acetone. The Ni foam anode sustains a current density of 2.6 mA cm−2 for the electrolysis time of 600 min without significant loss of activity. Isopropanol is converted to acetone at a rate of 5.6 mM per hour.