Electrooxidation of 2-chlorophenol on polyNiTSPc-modified glassy carbon electrodes

The electrooxidation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) on poly-nickel tetrasulfophthalocyanine (polyNiTSPc) modified glassy carbon (GC) and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes was studied by cyclic voltammetry and in situ UV–Vis transmission spectroscopy. The polyNiTSPc films were characterized by XPS and AFM, both before and after reaction with 2-CP. The results indicate that NiTSPc polymerizes at both GC and ITO electrodes, apparently retaining its phthalocyanine structure in which the Ni atoms play a role similar to that in Ni(OH)2 films. In the oxidation of 2-CP at polyNiTSPc-modified electrodes the electrode fouling by a layer of polymerized 2-CP oxidation products (polyCP) is weaker than on the bare GC electrode, probably because the polyCP layer formed on polyNiTSPc–ITO is very rough, as indicated by AFM, thus allowing the passage of CP molecules to the polyNiTSPc film.