Preparation and characterization of Nano-SiC doped PbO2 electrode for degradation of toluene diamine

Abstract

A novel PbO2 electrode with nano-SiC modified (Ti/SiC–PbO2) was fabricated through electrodeposition to enhance the anode oxidation ability and stability. The microstructure, composition and morphology of the anodes were characterized by SEM, EDX, XRD and XPS. The results demonstrate the successful doping of nano-SiC on the catalytic coating layer with much smaller and uniform β-PbO2 grains. The electrochemical properties of the anodes were explored by CV, EIS, LSV, Tafel and Mott-Schottky curves. Toluene diamine (TDA) was degraded by electrochemical oxidation technology on the prepared electrodes. The higher oxygen evolution over-potential (about 2.11 V vs. SCE) and lower charge transfer resistance of the Ti/SiC–PbO2 electrode endow it with a satisfactory COD removal efficiency and economical current efficiency at different initial TDA concentrations. The accelerated lifetime of the Ti/SiC–PbO2 anode was 61.8 h at 2 A/cm2 in 4.0 mol/L H2SO4 solution, and it is approximately 3.07 times longer than the traditional PbO2 electrode, indicating its high stability. These results demonstrate a promising potential of the Ti/SiC–PbO2 electrode in addressing water pollution issues.