Transition metal oxides modified graphite felt and its electrochemical oxidation performance

A modified Graphite felt cathode have been obtained by pretreatment of H₂O₂ and modification of transition metal oxide (CeO₂). The results indicated that H₂O₂ pretreatment increased the oxygen-containing groups on the surface of graphite felt and improved the surface hydrophilicity, which helped to the deposition of CeO₂, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the CeO₂ deposited on the surface of graphite felt was a typical fluorite structure. The EIS and CV analysis indicated a decrease of the charge transfer and an increase of the oxygen reduction current of the modified cathode, while the active surface area was improved by 8 times. The LSV result showed that the electric current density of cathode after modification was significantly enhanced, which was 8.5 times the amount of the pristine one. The modified graphite felt was used as cathode by electro-Fenton to remediate the solution of methyl orange, the decolorization rate reached to 96.8% in 20 min and the removal rate increased 133.2% compared to the unmodified graphite felt, and the electrochemical oxidation performance of the modified graphite felt was obviously improved.