Abstract
H4SiW12O40 (abbreviated as SiW) and Pt supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with different Pt/SiW ratios were prepared and characterized by FTIR, XRD, ICP-OES, polarography, and TEM. The prepared catalysts were then after attached onto glassy carbon (GC) electrodes by using polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) as binder. The resulting electrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and tested for the electrooxidation of cyclohexane. The TEM results showed that addition of SiW to the catalyst increased the dispersion of the Pt particles. The results of CV showed that increasing the SiW loading, increased the exchanged electronic charge Qh (mC). As for the electrocatalytic tests, it has been found that the cyclohexanone (K), cyclohexanol (A) and cyclohexyl hydroperoxide (CyOOH) are formed as major products of the reaction. Higher loadings promoted cyclohexanone production whereas lower ones favored cyclohexyl hydroperoxide. The conversion and selectivity enhancement was attributed to the high dispersion of the active phase in the catalyst.