Detection of hydrogen peroxide produced at a liquid/liquid interface using scanning electrochemical microscopy

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used to monitor in situ hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced at a polarized water/1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface. The water/DCE interface was formed between a DCE droplet containing decamethylferrocene (DMFc) supported on a solid electrode and an acidic aqueous solution. H2O2 was generated by reducing oxygen with DMFc at the water/DCE interface, and was detected with a SECM tip positioned in the vicinity of the interface using a substrate generation/tip collection mode. This work shows unambiguously how the H2O2 generation depends on the polarization of the liquid/liquid interface, and how proton-coupled electron transfer reactions can be controlled at liquid/liquid interfaces. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.