Electro-Catalysis at Chemically Modified Solid Surfaces

This book documents Professor Jacques Simonet's contribution to building new electrode materials and their related catalytic reactions. Research includes synthesis of new alloys of palladium, discovery of new composite electrodes (including gold- and silver-graphene) and the creation of new materials through judicious cathodic or anodic doping. Additionally, studies demonstrate the malleability and reactivity of previously unused precious and semi-precious metals for the creation of 2D and 3D catalytic materials. Studies key to innovative research show how transition metals may reversibly cathodically insert small size electro-active molecules such as CO₂ and O₂, and be applied to methods of depollution brought by carbon and nitrogen oxides.

Written for practical use, Simonet has provided both theory and tools needed for those aiming to recreate and develop his experiments in electrochemical catalysis and surface modifications. This full publication of research gives graduate and post-graduate students of chemistry, electrochemistry and catalysis an in-depth insight into key historical and modern developments in the field.

Jacques Simonet received his Ingenieur Chimiste degree from the University of Clermont-Ferrand (France) in 1962 and immediately took a position of Chercheur Scientifique at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). He received the Doctorat d'Etat from the same University in 1967, and in 1972, he spent one year as a NATO fellow at the University of Aarhus (Denmark) in the research group of Professor Henning Lund. In 1980, he became Director of Recherche and simultaneously took over the direction of the Electro-chemistry groups at both the University of Rennes (France) and the Catholic University in Angers (France). Dr Simonet has been guest of the Monsanto Company (St Louis, 1976) and of the Electro-synthesis Company (Buffalo, 1993) and has been a visiting faculty member at the University of Aarhus (1974 and 1975) and at the Indiana University, Bloomington (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2003).

Organic electron-transfer reactions have long been the focus of Dr Simonet's work. In the course of his investigations, he has found new electron-labile protecting groups. In particular, he has made important contributions to the electro-chemistry of organic compounds containing sulfur (sulfones, sulfoxides, and sulfonium derivatives) and nitrogen (amines and sulfonamides). In collaboration with Professor Henning Lund, he discovered redox catalysis in organic chemistry, as well as perturbed redox catalysis in which radical coupling takes place. He was the first to anodically polymerize poly-ethers and crown ethers to generate new materials capable of extracting very low concentrations of heavy-metals and/or radioactive cations from aqueous solutions. His research concerning the insertion and /or intercalation of organic or inorganic cations into graphite and noble metals (platinum and palladium) had led to the development of new kinds of modified solid surfaces.

Dr Simonet is the author of more than 400 research articles and has presented numerous papers and plenary lectures at national and international symposia devoted to electro-chemistry. He has written 20 review articles and book chapters, and holds 12 technical patents. He was appointed Fellow of the Electro-chemical Society (2005), won the Prix de Chimie Organique of the Société Chimique de France (1973), the Manuel Baizer Award of ECS (2000) and distinguished as Fellow in the Institute of Advanced Study in Indiana University (1995). At the present time, Dr Simonet serves as Director of Research Emeritus at the University de Rennes in the Electro-chemistry group.