Experimental and theoretical unraveling of the electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination of chlorinated phenol using Pd promoted by oxygen vacancies in TiO2 array

The electrocatalytic dichlorination (EHDC) shows a promising potential to degrade chlorinated phenols (CPs). It is also a green technology in reducing the corresponding hazardous impact on the environment. In this study, we constructed a catalytic structure which was Pd on a TiO2 array with oxygen vacancies on carbon fibre paper substrate (Pd/TiO2/CFP) by a relatively mild route. Due to the presence of the oxygen vacancies, the resulting strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) effect has been identified which featured a redistribution of spatial charge in Pd/TiO2. The electron flow from the oxygen vacancies in the TiO2 to Pd facilitated the adsorption of Pd with 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and endowed the Pd metal with an improved chemical reaction kinetics even at a low Pd loading. Experimentally, we studied the dependence of pH, concentration of 4-CP, and working potential on the reaction conditions of EHDC. The results showed that the conversion of 4-CP reached 100 % within 180 min with an apparent rate constant of 2.9 × 10-2 min−1 and the dominant product was phenol (P). The multi-cycle test illustrated that the Pd/TiO2/CFP electrode showed superior stability. The results also revealed that the comprehensive catalytic behavior was much better than those of the Pd/CFP and the TiO2/CFP electrodes. The density function theory (DFT) calculations indicated that 4-CP was more preferably absorbed on Pd/TiO2/CFP than Pd/CFP due to the SMSI assistance. This study provides a valuable guide in the preparation of precious metal-based electrodes for EHDC with a reduced loading and cost but without performance compromise.