Enhanced electrocatalytic reduction of hexavalent chromium with reduced pH dependence via alternating potential polarization using a polyaniline–chitosan composite electrode

Abstract

The slow kinetics and strong pH dependence of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), electroreduction pose significant challenges for efficient remediation. Herein, an innovative alternating potential technique coupled with a polyaniline/chitosan composite electrode is developed to achieve rapid Cr(VI) removal (up to 17.8 h⁻¹ at pH ∼ 2.0) while mitigating pH sensitivity (1.2 h⁻¹ at pH ∼ 5.0).