Synthesis of Copper Electrodeposits onto a Rotating Glassy Carbon Disk Electrode and Their Ability to Oxidize NaBH4: Effect of the Rotation Rate

In the present work voltamperometric and chronoamperometric techniques were employed to study the eletrodeposition process of copper electrodeposits (CuE) onto a rotating glassy carbon electrode (RGCDE), at different rotation rates. The ability of these CuE to oxidize sodium borohydride (NaBH4) was tested by linear voltammetry. Our results suggest that increasing the rotation rate of the disk electrode does not modify appreciably the electrocatalytic properties of these CuE because they exhibit the same oxidative ability. However, the oxidation of BH4- is favored when the electrode containing CuE is subjected to a constant rotation rate. Finally, a first estimate of the size of the CuE agglomerates suggests a size of 1-20 μm.