Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of 4-chlorophenol on the glassy carbon electrode modified by composite polypyrrole/palladium film

A polypyrrole/palladium composite film was prepared on a glassy carbon electrode by the electrochemical deposition method. The palladium particles were uniformly dispersed on a polypyrrole film that was previously electrodeposited on a glassy carbon electrode. By controlling the polymerization process of pyrrole, a highly porous polypyrrole film was obtained; this kind of structure provided more surface areas for depositing palladium particles. The sizes of Pd particles deposited on the porous polypyrrole film are about 15-30 nm. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed there was strong interaction between polypyrrole film and palladium particles. This modified electrode showed excellent current efficiency (49.5%) for electrochemical hydrogenation of 4-chlorophenol and the phenol was the sole product. The potential effect on the dechlorination process was also investigated.