A VOLTAMMETRIC AND FTIR-ATR STUDY OF THE ELECTROPOLYMERIZATION OF PHENOL ON PLATINUM-ELECTRODES IN CARBONATE MEDIUM - INFLUENCE OF SULFIDE

Voltammetry and FTIR-ATR techniques have been employed to investigate polyphenol films formed on platinum surfaces by electrochemical oxidat ion of phenol. The media used in the electropolymerization were aqueou s carbonate solutions, with and without Na2S. The polymeric films crea ted are not permeable to ferrocyanide and ferricyanide species and pre sent low water mobility. The presence of sulfide in the electropolymer ization solution enhances these characteristics. The amount of sulfur detected by an energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDX) in the polymeric films created in the presence and in the absence of sulfide in the so lution is very similar. Thus, the sulfur present in the polymer create d in solutions with a sulfide concentration up to 10(-3) M is not repr esentative. A strong stretching vibration band at 900-1150 cm(-1) is o btained in the IR spectrum that can be associated to the ether linkage s of the phenolic rings (=C-O-C=). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.