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Selective O 2 -to-H 2 O 2 Electrosynthesis by a High-Performance, Single-Pass Electrofiltration System Using Ibuprofen-Laden CNT Membranes.

Qing YangYuanzheng ZhangPengyu XiaoRuiping LiuHuijuan LiuJiuhui QuJae-Hong KimMeng Sun
Published in: Environmental science & technology (2024)
Producing H 2 O 2 through a selective, two-electron (2e) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is challenging, especially when it serves as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) for cost-effective water decontamination. Herein, we attain a 2e-selectivity H 2 O 2 production using a carbon nanotube electrified membrane with ibuprofen (IBU) molecules laden (IBU@CNT-EM) in an ultrafast, single-pass electrofiltration process. The IBU@CNT-EM can generate H 2 O 2 at a rate of 25.62 mol g CNT -1 h -1 L -1 in the permeate with a residence time of 1.81 s. We demonstrated that an interwoven, hydrophilic-hydrophobic membrane nanostructure offers an excellent air-to-water transport platform for ORR acceleration. The electron transfer number of the ORR for IBU@CNT at neutral pH was confirmed as 2.71, elucidating a near-2e selectivity to H 2 O 2 . Density functional theory (DFT) studies validated an exceptional charge distribution of the IBU@CNT for the O 2 adsorption. The adsorption energies of the O 2 and *OOH intermediates are proportional to the H 2 O 2 selectivity (64.39%), higher than that of the CNT (37.81%). With the simple and durable production of H 2 O 2 by IBU@CNT-EM electrofiltration, the permeate can actuate Fenton oxidation to efficiently decompose emerging pollutants and inactivate bacteria. Our study introduces a new paradigm for developing high-performance H 2 O 2 -production membranes for water treatment by reusing environmental functional materials.
Keyphrases
  • electron transfer
  • density functional theory
  • hydrogen peroxide
  • molecular dynamics
  • carbon nanotubes
  • mass spectrometry
  • heavy metals
  • ionic liquid
  • risk assessment
  • single cell
  • wastewater treatment
  • combination therapy