Preparation of SnO₂-Sb/attapulgite (AP) clay particulate electrode for efficient phenol electrochemical oxidation

A novel SnO₂-Sb/AP (attapulgite) particle electrode was prepared for three-dimensional electrocatalytic oxidation (3D/EO) of organic pollutants using a co-sintering method. The electrochemical properties and micromorphology were determined using polarization, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and compared with activated carbon (AC), AP, and TiO₂/AP particle electrodes. Besides, their potential application in the electrochemical degradation of phenol was investigated. The SnO₂-Sb/AP particle electrode exhibited higher electrochemical activity than other particle electrodes due to its large number of active sites, low transfer coefficient (α, 0.12), and high-volt ampere charge (q^*, 1.18 C·cm^-2). The electrochemical COD_Cr degradation efficiency (100%) of phenol on SnO₂-Sb/AP particle electrodes is much higher than for other particle electrodes. Moreover, an excellent stability of the SnO₂-Sb/AP particle electrode is also verified by repeated experiments. These results indicate that the SnO₂-Sb/AP particle electrodes broaden the application area of clays and are expected to be a promising method for 3D/EO.