2026-10-11T14:49:22Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34021605 2026-09-29T06:06:43Z category_1 category_4 category_146 category_7 category_12 category_873 category_39 category_69 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_09_2026

Intramolecular Charge Polarization Drives Bifunctional Electrocatalytic Oxidation in a Nonmetallic Electrified Confinement Membrane Songying Qu (13147309) Ruiquan Yu (6598526) Ming Gao (115719) Xiao-Yan Li (429193) Jun Zhang (48506) Biophysics Biochemistry Space Science Medicine Cell Biology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Inorganic Chemistry versus conventional systems tuned carbon nanofiber sluggish mass transfer nanoscale transport optimization inefficient electrode utilization fabricated via electrospinning cathodic pollutant degradation level electronic modulation decreased work function work establishes fermi level ∼ 936 ∼ 0 – cn states near standing oxygen oxygen doping metal leaching gradient annealing environmental impact downshifted homo deficient regions defect co converging atomic concurrent anodic complete removal bifunctional electrocatalyst 5 l 096 kwh Electrocatalytic water purification suffers from metal leaching, sluggish mass transfer, and inefficient electrode utilization. Here we present a free-standing oxygen and defect co-tuned carbon nanofiber (O–CN) membrane as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for concurrent anodic and cathodic pollutant degradation. Fabricated via electrospinning and gradient annealing, O–CN features dense submicron channels enabling ultrafast transport. Oxygen doping with defect passivation induces charge polarization, intensifying the density of states near the Fermi level and creating electron-rich and electron-deficient regions. This promotes anodic direct oxidation via a downshifted HOMO and cathodic singlet oxygen production via a decreased work function. Complete removal of emerging contaminants occurs within 0.4 s, flux of ∼936.5 L m^–2 h^–1 bar^–1, energy consumption of ∼0.096 kWh m^–3, and >99% efficiency over 300 h. Costs and environmental impact are reduced by >65% versus conventional systems. This work establishes a sustainable electrified water treatment paradigm by converging atomic-level electronic modulation with nanoscale transport optimization. 2026-09-29T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c04087.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Intramolecular_Charge_Polarization_Drives_Bifunctional_Electrocatalytic_Oxidation_in_a_Nonmetallic_Electrified_Confinement_Membrane/34021605 CC BY-NC 4.0