Efficient electro-Fenton catalysis by self-supported CFP@CoFe2O4 electrode.

In this work, the bimetallic iron oxide self-supported electrode was prepared by a simple solvothermal as well as thermal method. CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles were grown in situ on the CFP surface and characterized to reveal the morphology, composition, and electrochemical properties of the electrode. Compared to CFP and CFP@Co-Fe, CFP@CoFe2O4 equipped more efficient mineralization current efficiency and lower energy consumption due to the improved electrocatalytic capacity of CoFe2O4 properly grown on the conductive substrate surface. Further studies showed that the manufactured electrode maintained a high level of stability after continuous operation. According to the free radical trapping experiment, EPR, and liquid mass spectrometry analysis, the rational reaction mechanism of p-nitrophenol was finally proposed, in which ·OH and SO4·- were considered as the main active oxidants. This work demonstrated the great potential of establishing an electro-Fenton system based on CoFe2O4 immobilized self-supporting cathode for environmental remediation.