Nitrogen-doped nanodiamond rod array electrode with superior performance for electroreductive debromination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Vol. 154-155; pp. 206 - 212
• Main Authors: Liu, Yanming, Chen, Shuo, Quan, Xie, Fan, Xinfei, Zhao, Huimin, Zhao, Qian, Yu, Hongtao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 01.07.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Catalysis; Chemistry; Diamond rod array; Electrocatalyst; Electrochemistry; Electroreductive debromination; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Kinetics and mechanism of reactions; Nitrogen-doped nanodiamond; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Electrocatalyst; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Nitrogen-doped nanodiamond; Electroreductive debromination; Diamond rod array; Debromination; Ether; Rod; Diamond; Nitrogen; Electrodes; Heterogeneous catalysis; Electrocatalysis; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2014.02.028

•Nitrogen-doped nanodiamond rod array (NDD RA) electrode was successfully synthesized.•NDD RA exhibits low hydrogen evolution potential and high electrochemical reduction activity.•NDD RA shows faster kinetics for BDE-47 reduction than graphite, Pt wafer and Pd film.•The electrochemical activity of NDD RA electrode can be tuned by nitrogen contents.•BDE-47 can be debrominated completely to diphenyl ether by NDD RA electrode. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of persistent and toxic pollutants. They are widely distributed in environment and present a potential risk to environment and public health. Thus, it is important to develop effective and feasible methods to remove them from ecosystem. Here, we presented a novel vertically aligned nitrogen-doped nanodiamond (VA-NDD)/Si rod array (RA) electrode with a low hydrogen evolution potential, −1.95V vs Hg/Hg2SO4 electrode, and superior activity for electroreductive debromination of persistent 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47). Over 97% BDE-47 (20mg/L) was electrochemically reduced in 2h at −1.85V with a first-order kinetic constant of 1.93h−1, which was 8.7 times, 4.7 times, 3.5 times and 2.3 times as great as those of boron-doped diamond (BDD)/Si RA, graphite, Pt wafer and Pd film electrodes under the experimental conditions applied. The durability test demonstrated VA-NDD/Si RA electrode was stable and reusable. Furthermore, the intermediates analysis revealed that BDE-47 could be debrominated completely to diphenyl ether.