B₄C/Ce co-modified Ti/PbO₂ dimensionally stable anode: Facile one-step electrodeposition preparation and highly...

The application of PbO₂ for electrochemical oxidation technology is limited by its low electrocatalytic activity and short service life. Herein, based on the facile one-step electrodeposition, we prepared a boron carbide (B₄C) and cerium (Ce) co-modified Ti/PbO₂ (Ti/PbO₂-B₄C-Ce) electrode to overcome these shortcomings. Compared with Ti/PbO₂ electrode, the denser surface is displayed by Ti/PbO₂-B₄C-Ce electrode. Meanwhile, electrochemical characterization indicates that the introduction of B₄C and Ce significantly enhance the electrochemical performance of PbO₂ electrode. In degradation experiments, under optimized conditions (current density 20 mA cm^-2, pH 9, 0.15 M Na₂SO₄ and 30 °C), the fully degradation of tetracycline (TC) can be completed within 30 min. Furthermore, the trapping experiment demonstrates that ∙OH and SO₄^·- radicals have a synergistic effect in the degradation process of TC. Based on results of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer, the generated ·OH preferentially attacks amides, phenols and conjugated double bond groups in TC. Importantly, Ti/PbO₂-B₄C-Ce electrode maintains a constant degradation efficiency even after 10 recycling tests, and its service life is 2.4 times of traditional Ti/PbO₂ electrode. Hence, Ti/PbO₂-B₄C-Ce electrode is a promising electrode for degradation of organic wastewater containing amides, phenols, and conjugated double bond groups.