Highly Effective Catalytic Oxidation of Substituted Benzyl Alcohols in a Two-Phase System Using a Platinum Electrode Decorated with Titanium Dioxide and Carbon Paste

The current study offers a novel, straightforward, effective, and selective technique for the electrochemical oxidation of aromatic alcohols into aldehydes using a chemically modified Pt-based carbon paste in conjunction with TiO₂. Pt and TiO₂/CP-based electrodes were fabricated. When Pt nanoparticles were included in the TiO₂/CP matrix, there was an increase in the electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of Benzyl alcohol. The electrolytic technique employed a mixture of KIO₃-H₂SO₄ as the medium, and a 5 V constant voltage was delivered between the modified electrodes. Utilizing spectroscopic instruments, the products' purity was assessed through HPLC analysis. Electrochemical synthesis produced good yields of aldehyde compounds, better than those from oxidation using an electrode made of carbon paste and platinum ornamented with titanium oxide. Utilizing cyclic voltammetry, the catalytic activity and stability of the oxidation of benzyl alcohol derivatives were investigated. According to the results of the cyclic potentiometric experiments, the Pt─TiO₂/CP electrode had better electrocatalytic activity than the Pt─TiO₂ electrode when converting benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. The chemically modified electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity, fast current responsiveness, and stable catalytic activity.