Construction of Pd, Ru/2D MXene nanosheets/3D self-supporting nickel foam composite electrode and its electrocatalytic synergistic degradation of antibiotics

In this study, Pd/Ru/MXene/ nickel foam (NF) electrodes were prepared by the impregnation method and galvanostatic electrodeposition technique to investigate their electrocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC). Subsequently, the electron transfer mechanism during this degradation process was studied. Under the optimal conditions, the degradation efficiency of the Pd/Ru/MXene/NF composite electrode for TC reached 92.02 % at 60 min. Bursting experiments as well as H2O2 generation experiments showed that OH, H* and ClO− together realized the degradation of TC. The composite electrode could effectively reduce the biotoxicity of the intermediate products of the TC degradation process. In order to reduce the aggregation of Pd and Ru nanoparticles, a scaffold structure and the introduction of a MXene intermediate layer were used to solve the problem. Electrocatalytic degradation of antibiotic molecules was facilitated by tuning the interface of the catalytic electrode to expose active sites and modulating the electronic state of the catalyst to enhance intrinsic activity.