Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Ethanol on Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified by Platinum Nanoparticles Dispersed into MMT/PANI/CS Composite Films

In this research work, montmorillonite/polyaniline/chitosan/platinum (MMT/PANI/CS/Pt) nanocomposite is used as an effective and novel catalyst for electrooxidation of ethanol. The glassy carbon electrode surface is coated with MMT/PANI and chitosan by applying a constant potential. Thereafter, the surface of the GCE is potentiostatically coated with platinum nanoparticles. The constructed electrode is referred to as: GCE/MMT/PANI/CS/Pt. The electrooxidation of ethanol molecules on the surface of MMT/PANI/CS/Pt electrode is studied using various electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The experimental results, indicate that the GCE/MMT/PANI/CS/Pt electrode possess a higher catalytic activity for ethanol electrooxidation compared to the GCE/Pt electrode. The Tafel plots indicate a better kinetic for ethanol electrooxidation in the presence of MMT/PANI/CS. The effect of various parameters on electrocatalytic oxidation of the ethanol molecules, such as the amount of platinum nanoparticles, MMT/PANI and ethanol concentration on the modified electrodes is investigated for electrooxidation of ethanol molecules using the GCE/MMT/PANI/CS/Pt electrode. The optimum conditions are obtained with 0.011 mg cm-2 Pt nanoparticle, 0.08 w/v% MMT/PANI and 1 M ethanol.