High selectivity of benzene electrochemical oxidation to p-benzoquinone on modified PbO2 electrode

Abstract In this paper, a modified Ti/SnO 2 –Sb 2 O 3 /PbO 2 electrode was successfully synthesized. The interlayer SnO 2 –Sb 2 O 3 was obtained through thermal decomposition and the surface layer by electrochemical deposition. The structures and morphology of the layers were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical property was carried out by cyclic voltammogrametry (CV) and the products obtained from electrochemical oxidation of benzene were investigated by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results showed that the surface of the prepared electrode was mainly composed of tetragonal-shaped β-PbO 2 crystal with a pyramidal-angular structure. The oxidation potential of benzene was +1.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The electrochemical oxidation of benzene showed the high selectivity toward p -benzoquinone on the modified Ti/SnO 2 –Sb 2 O 3 /PbO 2 electrode. And the optimal oxidation temperature for oxidation of benzene was 75 °C and the optimal temperature was 60 min.