SBIR Phase I: Low-cost Long-life Diamond Electrodes for Wastewater Treatment using Advanced Electrochemical Oxidation

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）一期项目将开发硼掺杂超晶金刚石（UNCD）电极，用于通过直接阳极氧化对工业废水中的顽固性有机物进行电化学处理/破坏。掺硼金刚石（BDD）薄膜电极由于其易于矿化复杂废物流的能力而引起了相当大的兴趣。其他处理方法（如反渗透和活性炭）只是浓缩毒素，产生的残留物需要在危险废物填埋场或焚化炉中处理。与传统的金刚石电极相比，UNCD具有许多优点（例如，薄、低应力、纯相薄膜）。UNCD薄膜由相纯的2-5 nm晶粒组成，具有原子突兀的晶界。UNCD薄膜比大晶粒的BDD薄膜成本更低，能够抵抗晶界离子传输，并表现出更低的应力。这个项目的目标是优化公司？利用现有的掺硼UNCD技术开发低成本、长寿命电极，使电化学废水处理/破坏得到广泛采用。该项目将确定表面形态、掺杂、衬底和处理方法对UNCD电极的影响，以量化成本、电化学性能和废水处理/破坏的寿命。这个项目的广泛影响/商业潜力是巨大的。薄的掺硼UNCD薄膜将减少电极电阻损耗，从而降低掺硼金刚石水处理和其他电化学应用的总功耗。由于水质对人类健康有很大影响，因此通过提高电极寿命和降低电力和资本成本来实现电化学水处理将是一个有吸引力的市场机会，并对医疗保健和能源成本产生重大的积极影响。臭氧是一种可替代的废水处理技术，2007年全球臭氧市场为2.77亿美元，2010年全球所有类型的水处理市场预计将超过3400亿美元。对顽固性有机物的改进电化学废水处理/破坏技术的市场预计将超过目前臭氧废水处理市场的规模。从该项目中更好地了解UNCD电化学还将实现其他应用，包括低成本的使用点或便携式水或废水处理，以及水质监测和细菌消毒，以减少对氯的需求，以及在基于mems的生化传感器领域的应用。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) electrodes for electrochemical treatment/destruction of recalcitrant organics in industrial wastewater via direct anodic oxidation. Boron-doped diamond (BDD) film electrodes have generated considerable interest due to their ability to readily mineralize complex waste streams. Other treatment methods (e.g., reverse osmosis and activated carbon) simply concentrate toxins, which produces residuals requiring disposal in hazardous waste landfills or incinerators. UNCD provides many advantages over traditional diamond for electrodes (e.g., thin, low-stress, phase-pure films). UNCD films consist of phase pure, 2-5 nm grains with atomically abrupt grain boundaries. UNCD costs less than larger-grained BDD films, are resistant to grain-boundary ion transport, and exhibit lower stress. The objective of this project is to optimize the company?s existing boron-doped UNCD technology to develop low-cost, long-lifetime electrodes to enable wide-spread adoption of electrochemical wastewater treatment/destruction. The project will determine the effects of surface morphology, doping, substrate and processing methodology for UNCD electrodes to quantify costs, electrochemical performance and lifetime for wastewater treatment/destruction.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is substantial. Thin, boron-doped UNCD films will reduce electrode resistive losses and thereby lower the overall power consumption for water treatment and other electrochemical applications of boron-doped diamond. Since water quality has a great impact on human health, enabling electrochemical water treatment through electrode lifetime improvements and reductions in power and capital costs would be both an attractive market opportunity and have a significant positive impact on healthcare and energy costs. The 2007 worldwide market for ozone, an alternative wastewater treatment technology, was $277 million and the available worldwide market for water treatment of all types in 2010 is expected to exceed $340 billion. The market for an improved electrochemical wastewater treatment/destruction technology for recalcitrant organics is expected to exceed the current size of the ozone wastewater treatment market. Leveraging a greater understanding of UNCD electrochemistry from this project would also enable alternative applications, including low-cost point-of-use or portable water or wastewater treatment, and water quality monitoring and bacterial disinfection to reduce the need for chlorine, in addition to applications in the area of MEMS-based biochemical sensors.