Preparation and characterization of optimized Ce and CTAB co-doped Blue-TiO2/PbO2 stable anode for phenol degradation

Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) has attracted wide attention to researchers on all walks of life for the treatment of stubborn pollutants because of the strong oxidizing properties. However, the electrode materials currently developed have problems such as short life and low catalytic activity. In this work, the modification of PbO2 electrode was started by introducing into blue nanotubes (Blue-TiO2-NTs) based on the titanium plate to enhance the conductivity of the electrode. Then the β-PbO2 active layer was optimized by using cerium (Ce) and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) through the method of electrodeposition to improve the electrocatalytic oxidation and stability. In the experiment of electrochemical oxidation, the degradation efficiency of phenol (100 mg/L) reached more than 96% after 120 min on the Blue-TiO2/PbO2-Ce-CTAB electrode. To further investigate the optimization mechanism of the Blue-TiO2/PbO2-Ce-CTAB anode in the electrocatalytic oxidation process, the surface structure, morphology, volt-ampere charge, oxygen evolution potential, and charge transfer resistance were evaluated. The result showed that the addition of CTAB reduced the crystal particles of PbO2, higher specific surface area of the electrode longitudinally by the Ce element, lower oxygen evolution potential, and smaller the resistance of charge transfer. Finally, the service life of the electrode was 6792 h by the accelerated life test on the current density of 25 mA cm−2. The energy consumption after 240 min of degradation was 0.079 kWh gCOD−1.This research proves that the Blue-TiO2/PbO2-Ce-CTAB electrode has potential application value in the degradation of phenol wastewater.