Glycerol electro-oxidation at Pt in alkaline media: influence of mass transport and cations

Abstract

Glycerol is an important biomass-derived product with potential to be applied on energy converting systems or as platform molecule in electrosynthesis. In this work we studied the glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) in alkaline media containing distinct alkaline cations and controlling the mass transport. The cyclic voltammograms were deconvoluted into three processes and the changes in the charge of each process revealed that mass transport affects the GOR in a complex matter, depending on both applied potential and electrolyte cation. Regardless of the cation on supporting electrolyte, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed the production of glycerate and lactate during GOR. Finally, potential oscillations under current control were mapped, highlighting the influence of both cations and mass transport, even in the systems with very similar behavior under potential control.