Application of a Pd-TiO2 nanotube/Ti electrode prepared by atomic layer deposition to reductive dechlorination of trichloroethylene

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a toxic carcinogen. Electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination is a very effective and safe method for degrading TCE and does not produce any secondary pollution. In this communication, a new cathode, fabricated by loading catalytic palladium (Pd) particles by atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO2NTs), is used in the dechlorination of TCE. With 60 mA current at pH = 5, the efficiency of TCE (40 mg/L) reduction was as high as 95.0%. Pd-TiO2NT/Ti cathodes thus demonstrate very good performance in TCE dechlorination. The cathodes prepared by ALD have greater efficiency and longer lifetimes than cathodes prepared by electrodeposition.