Research on carbon black and Cerium co-doped Ti4O7-CB-Ce electrocatalytic oxidation of tetracycline-based antibiotics.

Abstract Elemental doping is a promising way for enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of metal oxides. Herein, we fabricate Ti/ Ti₄O₇-CB-Ce anode materials by the modification means of carbon black and Cerium co-doped Ti₄O₇, and this shift effectively improve the interfacial charge transfer rate of Ti₄O₇and •OH yield in the electrocatalytic process. Remarkably, the Ti₄O₇-CB-Ce anode exhibits excellent efficiency of minocycline (MNC) wastewater treatment (100 % removal within 20 minutes) and the removal rate reduces from 100 % to 98.5 % after 5 cycles, which is comparable to BDD electrode. •OH and ¹O₂ are identified as the active species in the reaction. Meanwhile, it’s discovered that Ti/ Ti₄O₇-CB-Ce anodes can effectively improve the biochemical properties of the non-biodegradable pharmaceutical wastewater (B/C values from 0.25 to 0.44) and significantly reduce the toxicity of the wastewater (luminescent bacteria inhibition rate from 100 % to 26.6 %). This work paves an effective strategy for designing superior metal oxides electrocatalysts.