A Silver-Modified Copper Foam Electrode for Electrochemical Dehalogenation Using Mono-Bromoacetic Acid as an Indicator

To improve the effectiveness of dehalogenation of organic halogen compounds, a series of silver-modified Cu foam electrodes (Ag/Cu foam electrode) was prepared via chemical deposition, using AgNO 3 as the precursor. The crystal structure and morphology of the electrodes were measured by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that zero-valence Ag particles dispersed finely on the Cu foam surface and their number increased with Ag loading. Electrocatalytic activity was evaluated by monitoring the debromination of mono-bromoacetic acid (MBAA). The best operational conditions were a silver loading of 2 mg/cm 2 , applied current density of 5.5 mA/cm 2 , and pH 7.0. After five successive cycles, the Ag/Cu electrode remained stable for the electrocatalytic debromination of MBAA. We suggest that the improved electrocatalytic activity of the Ag/Cu electrode is mainly attributable to a strong interaction between MBAA and the Ag particles on the surface of electrode. These findings might be of great significance for improving the electrochemical dehalogenation process.