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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications
Published on: June 21, 2017
A combined "electrochemical-frustrated lewis pair" approach to hydrogen activation: surface catalytic effects at
Elliot J Lawrence1, Robin J Blagg, David L Hughes
1Energy Materials Laboratory, School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ (UK).
Abstract:
Herein, we extend our "combined electrochemical-frustrated Lewis pair" approach to include Pt electrode surfaces for the first time. We found that the voltammetric response of an electrochemical-frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) system involving the B(C6 F5 )3 /[HB(C6 F5 )3 ](-) redox couple exhibits a strong surface electrocatalytic effect at Pt electrodes. Using a combination of kinetic competition studies in the presence of a H atom scavenger, 6-bromohexene, and by changing the steric bulk of the Lewis acid borane catalyst from B(C6 F5 )3 to B(C6 Cl5 )3 , the mechanism of electrochemical-FLP reactions on Pt surfaces was shown to be dominated by hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) between Pt, [PtH] adatoms and transient [HB(C6 F5 )3 ](⋅) electrooxidation intermediates. These findings provide further insight into this new area of combining electrochemical and FLP reactions, and proffers additional avenues for exploration beyond energy generation, such as in electrosynthesis.
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