Electrochemical Detection of Sodium Borohydride in Alkaline Media by Gold Electrode

Abstract

Direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFC) are emerging as a promising technology for portable power. The characteristics of a gold electrochemical sensor for detecting borohydride concentration were investigated. Although gold is not Faradically efficient for the borohydride oxidation, the peak current obtained from cyclic voltammetry (CV) showed a linear relationship in the investigated range of 0.1 mM–50 mM borohydride concentration with a detect limitation of 50 μM, suggesting the same charge transfer mechanism within the investigated concentration range. Chronoamperometry results demonstrated a fast signal response, and the sensitivity was determined as 1.56 ± 0.13 μA/100 μM based on the present disk electrode. © 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.004204esl] All rights reserved.