Electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide in neutral medium using PVDF-based air cathode for removing ofloxacin in wastewater.

PVDF-based gas diffusion electrode is synthesized in two steps: first, PVDF-based gas diffusion layer is produced by phase inversion and subsequently the product is electrochemically polymerized with polypyrrole and reduced graphene oxide. The manufactured GO@Pr@GDE toward O2 reduction reaction is studied as air cathode to generate H2O2, which can be further used to oxidize nonbiodegradable ofloxacin in a simple cell system. Although all the GDE samples have a similar configuration, GO@Pr@GDE shows the highest catalytic activity toward H2O2 production. The exchange current density of GO@Pr@GDE in Na2SO4 solution is 2.4 × 10−8 A cm−2, which is 6 times greater than that of Pr@GDE. Results of XRD, FTIR, and SEM characterization are consistent with GDE's electrochemical behavior, revealing that pyrrole polymerized on the pristine PVDF-based GDE can supply more conductive sites, and reduced GO plays the most important role in H2O2 production and achieving 69% removal efficiency of ofloxacin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]