Polyethylene glycol assisted synthesis of a praseodymium-doped PbO2 electrode and its enhanced electrocatalytic oxidation performance

Publication date: Available online 19 April 2019Source: Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical EngineersAuthor(s): Bin Zhao, Hongbin Yu, Ying Lu, Jiao Qu, Suiyi Zhu, Mingxin HuoAbstractA praseodymium (Pr)-doped PbO2 electrode was synthesized by a co-deposition method with the help of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The morphologies and structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties were investigated by linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and accelerated life tests. 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was used as a model pollutant to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity. The operating parameters for the degradation of 4-CP were optimized. The results indicated that the addition of PEG in the electrodeposition solution significantly promoted the deposition of Pr, resulting in a compact and robust film with vanished boundaries. The impedance of the electrode decreased greatly after the modification of Pr and PEG, which contributed to a good electrocatalytic performance. As compared with those of the undoped electrode, the average current efficiency and the energy consumption of the co-modified electrode increased by 96.8% and decreased by 60.0%, respectively. Additionally, the electrode stability experiments revealed that the lifetime of the co-modified electrode (320 h) was 3.3 times that of the undoped electrode. The improved performance could be attribute...
Source: Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research