Mesoporous TiO2-ZrO2 composite film electrode for electrocatalytic reduction 2-pyridinaldehyde in ionic liquid

Mesoporous composite TiO2-ZrO2 (TZ) having enhanced surface area was synthesized by sol-gel process. The structure of the prepared samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, N-2 sorption techniques, etc. Electrocatalytic reduction of 2-pyridinaldehyde in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMI-BF4) on the mesoporous TZ composite film electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). A comparison of the CV recorded in the absence and presence of 2-pyridinaldehyde confirmed the catalytic reduction of 2-pyridinaldehyde produced 2-piperidinemethanol by Ti(III)/Ti(IV) redox couple on the surface of mesoporous TZ composite film. The mechanism of this electrode reaction is called catalytic (EC) mechanism.