Cathodic electroorganic reaction on silicon oxide dielectric electrode

The faradaic reaction at the insulator is counterintuitive. For this reason, electroorganic reactions at the dielectric layer have been scarcely investigated despite their interesting aspects and opportunities. In particular, the cathodic reaction at a silicon oxide surface under a negative potential bias remains unexplored. In this study, we utilize defective 200-nm-thick n(+)-Si/SiO(2) as a dielectric electrode for electrolysis in an H-type divided cell to demonstrate the cathodic electroorganic reaction of anthracene and its derivatives. Intriguingly, the oxidized products are generated at the cathode. The experiments under various conditions provide consistent evidence supporting that the electrochemically generated hydrogen species, supposedly the hydrogen atom, is responsible for this phenomenon. The electrogenerated hydrogen species at the dielectric layer suggests a synthetic strategy for organic molecules.