Abstract
Ammonia electro-oxidation is an extremely significant reaction with regards to the nitrogen cycle, hydrogen economy, and wastewater remediation. The design of efficient electrocatalysts for use in the ammonia electro-oxidation reaction (AOR) requires comprehensive understanding of the mechanism and intermediates involved. In this study, aggregation-induced emission (AIE), a robust fluorescence sensing platform, is employed for the sensitive and qualitative detection of hydrazine (N₂H₄), one of the important intermediates during the AOR. Here, we successfully identified N₂H₄ as a main intermediate during the AOR on the model Pt/C electrocatalyst using 4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)benzaldehyde (TPE-CHO), an aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen). We propose the AOR mechanism for Pt with N₂H₄ being formed during the dimerization process (NH₂ coupling) within the framework of the Gerischer and Mauerer mechanism. The unique chemodosimeter approach demonstrated in this study opens a novel pathway for understanding electrochemical reactions in depth. Copyright © 2021 American Chemical Society.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2433-2440 |
Journal | Journal of the American Chemical Society |
Volume | 143 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 28 Jan 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 10 Feb 2021 |