Efficient H₂O₂ electrogeneration at graphite felt modified via electrode polarity reversal: Utilization for organic...

Electrochemical synthesis of H₂O₂ offers a great potential for water treatment. However, a significant challenge is the development of efficient cathode materials for the process. Herein, we implement a practical electrochemical cathode modification to support efficient H₂O₂ electrogeneration via the reduction of dissolved anodic O₂. Graphite felt (GF) is in situ anodically modified by electrode polarity reversal technique in an acid-free, low-conductivity electrolyte. The modified GF exhibits a significantly higher activity towards O₂ reduction. Up to 183.3% higher H₂O₂ yield is obtained by the anodized GF due to the increased concentrations of oxygen-containing groups and the hydrophilicity of the surface, which facilitates electron and mass transfer between GF and the electrolyte. Another significant finding is the ability to produce H₂O₂ at a high yield under neutral pH and low current intensity by the modified GF (35% of the charge need to produce the same amount by unmodified GF). Long-term stability testing of the modified GF showed a decay in the electrode's activity for H₂O₂ production after 30 consecutive applications. However, the electrode regained its optimal activity for H₂O₂ production after a secondary modification by electrode polarity reversal. Finally, in situ electrochemically modified GF is more effective for removal of reactive blue 19 (RB19, 20 mg/L) and ibuprofen (IBP, 10 mg/L) by the electro-Fenton process. The modified GF removed 62.7% of RB19 compared to only 28.1% by the unmodified GF in batch reactors after 50 min. Similarly, 75.3% IBP is removed by the modified GF compared to 57.6% by the unmodified GF in a flow-through reactor after 100 min.