Electroreduction of nitrate ions at a platinum-copper electrode in an alkaline medium: Influence of sodium inositol phytate

Graphical abstract: - Abstract: The electrochemical behavior of a Pt-Cu (copper-platinum) electrode on the electroreduction of nitrate and nitrite ions has been investigated in an alkaline medium (0.05 M NaOH) in the presence of 5 mM sodium inositol phytate (NaIP₆). Different electrode materials (Cu, Pt, and Pt-Cu) were used to study their activity and selectivity towards the electroreduction of nitrates and nitrites using cyclic voltammetry. The Pt-Cu electrode shows the best performance. The addition of NaIP₆ is to prevent the oxidation of copper atoms to copper ions. The effect of NaIP₆ on the optimization of the electrode activity and stability was investigated in this study. The presence of NaIP₆ further improves the performance of the Pt-Cu electrode especially the stability of the electrode. The final nitrate and nitrite reduction product is ammonia (NH₃) which was observed both in the presence and absence of NaIP₆, although different mechanism pathways are assumed to have taken place in both systems