Role of defect sites and oxygen functionalities on preanodized screen printed carbon electrode for adsorption and oxidation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons

•Application of preanodized screen printed electrode for detection of PAHs•Adsorption and subsequent oxidation of PAHs•Degradation the toxicity of PAHs through electro-oxidation

We report here the application of “preanodized” screen printed carbon electrode without the need of adding catalysts for the adsorption and subsequent oxidation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). By suitably defining the preanodization condition, controlled amount of surface defects and oxygen functionalities are created to fulfill this purpose. Characterization of the modified electrodes and oxidized products specifies that both oxygen functionalities and edge/defect sites play a critical role in the adsorption of PAHs and their oxidation at lower overpotential. The results can assist in designing systems for efficient detection and toxicity degradation of a wide range of PAHs.

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