Self-supported antimony tin oxide anode with Sb segregation promoted atrazine removal

Abstract

Electrochemical oxidation is a sustainable approach to remove persistent organic pollutants, although it suffers from slow reaction transfer. Herein, a robust self-supported antimony tin oxide anode was developed by compaction–sintering process with engineering fiber as the pore-forming reagent and second binder. The obtained EF-ATO anode presented a Sb segregation-enhanced built-in electric field (BIEF), realizing 95% removal efficiency of atrazine (ATZ) in 30 min. Kinetics, Kelvin probe force microscopy, and in situ EPR analysis revealed that BIEF accelerated the reaction charge transfer for the co-generation of three reactive oxygen species, contributing to the highly efficient ATZ removal. Furthermore, the robust EF-ATO exhibited low energy consumption, high durability over 10 times cycling tests, and wide applicability in water pH and pollutant types. Thus, EF-ATO possessed high potential as a promising candidate for the eco-removal of persistent organic pollutants. This work provides an approach for designing robust self-supported metal oxide-based anodes and reveals an electrochemical oxidation process promoted by doping metal segregation-induced BIEF.