Electrochemical reduction of oxygen on thin-film Au electrodes in acid solution

The reduction of oxygen has been studied on thin-film gold electrodes using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique. Thin films of gold were prepared by vacuum evaporation onto glassy carbon and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite substrates. The surface morphology of the films was examined by atomic force microscopy. The kinetic parameters of O2 reduction have been determined and a Tafel slope of (-112±8) mVdec-1 was observed. The specific activity of the electrodes was almost independent of film thickness.