A polymer-coated nanowire sponge–based contact electrocatalytic system for simultaneous disinfection and removal of multiple micropollutants
Journal
Nature Communications
Journal Volume
17
Journal Issue
1
ISSN
2041-1723
Date Issued
2026-05-23
Author(s)
Lin, Geng-Sheng
Khan, Arshad
Kaswan, Kuldeep
Wang, Shuai
Sharma, Manish Kumar
Joshi, Ravindra
Ray, Meenakshi
Yang, Ping-Yu
Ting, Chun-Yo
Gao, Ji
Xie, Xing
Wang, Tsung-Shing
Tong, Zhaohui
Abstract
The removal of diverse contaminants in wastewater remains a major challenge due to low treatment efficiencies, high catalyst costs, and risks of residual chemicals. In this work, we introduce a polymer-coated nanowire sponge (PNS) based contact electro-catalysis (CEC) system for achieving the disinfection of microorganisms and the degradation of multiple micropollutants. Under ultrasonic stimulation, PNS facilitates interfacial electron transfer and generates a high rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Its synergistic ROS generation and static charge electroporation achieve over 99% disinfection within 3 minutes while degrading dyes, waste tire leachate, and reducing heavy metal ions in wastewater under ambient conditions. The system also exhibits a high hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production rate of 20.2 ± 0.1 μmol h⁻¹. Furthermore, PNS demonstrates excellent versatility, ease of recovery, and reusability, highlighting its strong potential for both point-of-use and large-scale wastewater treatment applications.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Type
journal article