Oxygen reduction reaction on polycrystalline gold. Pathways of hydrogen peroxide transformation in the acidic medium

The mechanism of oxygen electroreduction on polycrystalline gold is studied in the acidic medium. Hydrogen peroxide is the main reaction product. However, two potential regions can be singled out in which the oxygen electroreduction reaction proceeds by different pathways. The first region is the potential interval close to the steady-state potential. Here, the oxygen electroreduction virtually completely produces peroxide. The second interval is the potential range of considerable cathodic polarization values. In this case, peroxide can be reduced to water. The low energy of hydrogen peroxide adsorption on gold determines the considerable overpotential of peroxide reduction. It is shown that on the gold electrode surface, the catalytic decomposition of peroxide occurs. The use of the method of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy allows the peculiarities of the oxygen reaction associated with hydrogen peroxide transformations to be revealed. In the acidic medium, the reactions of consecutive reduction of oxygen through the intermediate formation of hydrogen peroxide and the catalytic decomposition of the intermediate product are shown to proceed simultaneously. The ratio of rate constants of electrochemical stages depends on the potential. The chemical decomposition is observed both near the steady-state potential and in the cathodic region where considerable electrochemical reduction of peroxide occurs.