Design of a novel and efficient electro-Fenton cathode with skeleton of melamine foams

Abstract A facile method using melamine foam (MF) as the framework was firstly developed to construct Fe3O4 coated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)- polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as efficient electro-Fenton (EF) cathode (Fe@PTFE/MWCNT-MF). Effect of PTFE on the yield of H2O2 was comparatively investigated. Using the 0.3% of PTFE modified electrode had the highest H2O2 yield (130 mg L−1) within 60 min. The analysis of contact angle and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) showed that the optimum electrode exhibited superhydrophobicity (137°) and higher current response for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Compared to the traditional homogeneous EF system, the composite cathode exhibited excellent activation of H2O2 to generate OH. The removal rates of methylene blue (MB) and total organic carbon (TOC) reached 100% and 78.4%, respectively. A possible degradation mechanism was also proposed. The Fe@PTFE/MWCNT-MF was an attractive candidate as EF cathode for oxidation removal of organic matters.