Preparation and characterization of Ce and PVP co-doped PbO2 electrode for waste water treatment

Abstract

In this study, the novel PbO2 electrodes co-doped with rare earth (Ce) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were prepared by electrodeposition technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the surface morphology and crystal structure of the electrodes. In contrast with PbO2, Ce–PbO2, PVP–PbO2 and Ce–PVP–PbO2 electrodes, the Ce–PVP–PbO2 electrode had smaller crystal particles and more compact structure. The electro-catalytic activity of electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that the prepared Ce–PVP–PbO2 electrode has lower energy consumption and more excellent electrochemical oxidation performance than other three kinds of electrodes. Electrochemical oxidation methyl orange as a model dye wastewater was studied to evaluate the potential applications of this electrode in environmental science. It was found that the Ce–PVP–PbO2 electrode exhibited higher decolorization and COD removal efficiency than other three kinds of electrodes.