High performance and durable graphene-grafted cathode for electro-Fenton degradation of tetramethyldecynediol

A novel reduced graphene oxide grafted carbon fiber (rGO-CF) cathode for electro-Fenton was prepared using a simple thermal treatment method and applied to the degradation of tetramethyldecynediol (TMDD), a massively used non-ionic surfactant. Electrochemical characterization demonstrated that the new cathode possessed high electroactive surface area (1387.1 cm2 g-1), low electron-transfer resistance (0.198 ohm) and high activity for oxygen reduction. With these excellent properties, rGO-CF achieved 122.1 mg L-1 of H2O2 accumulation, 45 % higher than with the unmodified cathode (84.2 mg L-1). Compared to the unmodified cathode, rGO-CF doubled the TMDD degradation rate and increased the 2-hour mineralization yield from 49.4 % to 84.0 %. Most importantly, rGO-CF exhibited excellent stability verified over 1000 cycles of cyclic voltammetry and 5 runs of electro-Fenton experiments. A degradation pathway for the oxidation of TMDD is proposed. With ease of fabrication, stability and affordable cost, the new electrode shows tremendous potential for practical applications.