Issue 5, 2020

Tailoring the ORR selectivity for H2O2 electrogeneration by modification of Printex L6 carbon with 1,4-naphthoquinone: a theoretical, experimental and environmental application study

Abstract

The modification of carbon-based materials with electroactive organic compounds can improve the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) efficiency toward H2O2 electrogeneration. The present work sought to evaluate the electrochemical properties of a Printex L6 carbon matrix modified with 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQE) and its application toward the removal of paracetamol in different advanced oxidation processes. The 1.0% NQE-modified material showed 93% selectivity for H2O2 electrogeneration compared to 85% for the unmodified carbon matrix. Density functional theory calculations helped confirm the NQE action as an H+ donor by improving the ΔG of the reaction from −277.11 kJ mol−1 for PL6C to −986.1 kJ mol−1 for the NQE-modified material. Applied at 75 mA cm−2, the modified gas diffusion electrode presented a 30% increase in H2O2 electrogeneration compared to the unmodified electrode. Paracetamol removal followed pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics in the following order: anodic oxidation with H2O2 electrogeneration (AO-H2O2) < AO-H2O2/UVC < electro-Fenton (EF) < photoelectro-Fenton (PEF). The action of the NQE modifier helped enhance the ORR activity and selectivity for H2O2 electrogeneration, thus making the material suitable for environmental application in wastewater treatment.

Graphical abstract: Tailoring the ORR selectivity for H2O2 electrogeneration by modification of Printex L6 carbon with 1,4-naphthoquinone: a theoretical, experimental and environmental application study

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 mei 2020
Accepted
28 jun 2020
First published
30 jun 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Adv., 2020,1, 1318-1329

Tailoring the ORR selectivity for H2O2 electrogeneration by modification of Printex L6 carbon with 1,4-naphthoquinone: a theoretical, experimental and environmental application study

M. S. Kronka, F. L. Silva, A. S. Martins, M. O. Almeida, K. M. Honório and M. R. V. Lanza, Mater. Adv., 2020, 1, 1318 DOI: 10.1039/D0MA00290A

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