Electrochemical Oxidation of Organic Compounds Using Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode

This paper presents the application of a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode in the electrochemical oxidation of stable organic compounds. The BDD electrode exhibits a high anodic potential, generating high oxidation state radicals that facilitate the oxidation of tough organic compounds. In this study, the electrochemical oxidation approach is tested in the cleaning of residual organics left on a liquid crystal display (LCD) device. Results indicate that residual organic compounds adhered on an LCD device are decomposed completely in the experiment. It has been shown that the electrolyte temperature and K(3)PO(4) concentration strongly affect the oxidation of tough residual organics such as phenylcyclohexane. Optimal cleaning performance is obtained at an electrolyte concentration of 0.4 M K(3)PO(4) and a temperature between 50 and 70 degrees C. The stability test of a BDD electrode measured by means of X-ray diffraction indicates that the BDD electrode remains unchanged after 200 h of operation. Moreover, the electrochemical oxidation technique has dramatically minimized the use of the ozone depleting substance commonly used as the organic solvent in the LCD manufacturing process.