Abstract Hydrodefluorination (HDF) is the key step in fluoroaromatic pollutant (FAP) degradation, making the search for efficient HDF catalysts and the determination of the corresponding mechanism a matter of great… Click to show full abstract
Abstract Hydrodefluorination (HDF) is the key step in fluoroaromatic pollutant (FAP) degradation, making the search for efficient HDF catalysts and the determination of the corresponding mechanism a matter of great importance. In this study, we developed an efficient HDF catalyst (a Rh-Pd alloy) and investigated the underlying catalytic reaction mechanism, using 4-fluorophenol (4-FP) as a model FAP. Specifically, the rapid aqueous-phase HDF of 4-FP at pH 3 was achieved on a Rh-Pd alloy-modified Ni foam electrode, which was followed by ring hydrogenation (RH) of the HDF product (phenol) to afford cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and thermodynamic analyses showed that, in addition to those supplied by the applied current, the electrons involved in the HDF of 4-FP and the RH of phenol were largely provided by the oxidative dissolution of the Ni foam support. Hydrogenation and cyclic voltammetry experiments indicated that the HDF of 4-FP probably follows an indirect mechanism (featuring adsorbed H atoms as the direct reductant) and that the strength of 4-FP adsorption onto the surface of the catalyst significantly influences its HDF activity.
               
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