Electrocatalytic Properties of a Novel β-PbO2/Halloysite Nanotube Composite Electrode

Abstract

To improve the efficiency of electrochemical degradation of wastewater, lead dioxide was synthesized by a hydrothermal method with low cost, simple operation, and high conversion rate. β-PbO2/HNT composites were prepared by a hydrothermal method with Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and β-PbO2. The PbO2/HNT/ITO electrode was prepared by modifying the β-PbO2/HNT composite on an indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass electrode. The morphology of the material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance of the electrode was measured by cyclic voltammetry, the galvanostatic charge–discharge method, and the AC impedance method. Electrolysis of typical dye wastewater by electrochemical oxidation was carried out. The effect of electrochemical degradation of wastewater with new electrodes was investigated and the degree of electrodes falling off was compared. The solubility of electrodes was investigated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry lead element analysis of wastewater. The results showed that the β-PbO2/HNT electrodes were prepared successfully and had good charge–discharge performance and lifetime. The removal rate of electrolytic dye wastewater was 85.86%, and the degradation effect was better than that of pure PbO2 electrodes. In this work, a new type of β-PbO2/HNT/ITO electrode has been prepared, which improved the degradation efficiency of wastewater and opened up the prospect of HNT application.