Uncapped Silver Nanoclusters as Potential Catalyst for Enhanced Direct-Electrochemical Oxidation of 4-Nitrophenol

Herein silver nanoclusters (Ag NCS) are synthesized by one-step,and facile chemical reduction strategy in water medium at room temperature without employing any external stabilizing agents. Silver nanoclusters based film was prepared on a glassy carbon electrode surface (GCE Ag NCS) as the working electrode for the direct electrochemical oxidation of 4-nitrophenol for the first time. It is found that Ag nanoclusters exhibit an admirable electrocatalytic activity for the direct-oxidation of 4-nitrophenol by offering huge accessible electrochemical active surface area and a facile environment for the electron transfer from analyte to the electrode in the absence of any other mediator or enzymes on the electrode surface. Silver nanoclusters based electrode demonstrates significantly improved anodic current by similar to 12 times and less positive anodic peak potential shift by similar to 0.27V in comparison to bare GCE, revealing superior performance of present electrode materials for direct-oxidation of 4-nitrophenol. The GCE Ag NCS also exhibits high mass activity of 64.3Ag(-1) and diffusion co-efficient of 0.2x10(-3)cm(2)s(-1). The catalyst developed in this investigation also possesses good durability under 1.0M KOH, demonstrating that the Ag nanoclusters constructed electrodes have promising practical environmental applications. [GRAPHICS]