Ultrasonic-Electrodeposition Construction of High Hydrophobic Ce-Pdms-Pbo2/Ss Electrode for P-Nitrophenol Degradation: Catalytic, Kinetics and Mechanism

Dealing with p-nitrophenol (PNP) pollution has been of great concern due to inherent toxicity of PNP to human health and environments. Herein, a novel hydrophobic microsphere Ce-PDMS-PbO2 structure on stainless steel (SS) was prepared by ultrasonic-electrodeposition as an efficient anodic electrocatalyst for PNP degradation in acid solution. Such Ce-PDMS-PbO2 electrode exhibits lower activation energy and charge transfer resistance, higher exchange current density, tolerable stability and electrochemical active area. The assynthesized Ce-PDMS-PbO2 anode achieved drastically enhanced PNP removal efficiency of 96.9% in 120 min. And the degradation reaction order was also calculated, which conformed to the quasi-first-order reaction kinetics. The GC-MS results reveal the possible PNP degradation pathway under the action of both anodic and cathodic reactions. Furthermore, the essential reason for the improvement of ·OH generation by Ce doping was investigated via DFT calculation, and the degradation process of PNP on the PbO2 electrode surface was theoretically simulated.