Affordable Polymer-Carbon Composite Electrodes for Electroosmotic Dehydration and Electro-Fenton Processes

A polymer-carbon composite electrode (PCCE) material was prepared using polyethylene and conductive graphite powder as major constituents. Its electrochemical properties and prospects for environmental electrochemistry applications were explored. The results revealed that the service lifetime of PCCE in aqueous solution was greatly influenced by the current density, the agitation condition, and the thickness of the electrode. Without agitation, a planar PCCE could work stably for similar to 100 h as an anode (1 mA/cm(2)) and far more than 200 h as a cathode (2 mA/cm(2)). The failure of PCCE was attributed to the debonding of conductive fillers, and the attachment of O-2 bubbles onto the electrode surface also accelerated the failure. It was verified that the overall performance of PCCE can meet the requirements of electroosmotic dehydration and the electro-Fenton process. As composed of a low-cost and processable electrode material, PCCE is envisioned to be developed as an alternative to the conventional inert electrode materials for environmental applications.