Electro-oxidation of lincomycin and human pathogenic bacteria using carbon-supported lanthanide derivatives anodes:...

Lanthanide metal-organic framework derivatives (Ln-MOFs) have emerged as effective conductive catalysts for enhancing the electrochemical performance of electrodes. This study presents a strategic approach to significantly improve the electrocatalytic activity of an anode in electrooxidation by integrating high-valence lanthanide metals into a carboxymethyl-functionalized carbon substrate. The focus is on investigating the degradation property of lincomycin (LIN) and the inactivation of human pathogenic bacteria (HPB, Escherichia coli (E. coli)). The results demonstrated that the Sm-MOF carboxymethyl-functionalized derived carbon (Sm-MOF/MCF) electrode exhibited exceptional electrochemical properties, including minimal charge transfer resistance (97.613 Ω/cm²), low corrosion current density (1.213 × 10^-5 mA/cm²), high carrier density (2.071 × 10³²), and an electrochemically active area of 229.600 cm². As a promising anode, Sm-MOF/MCF achieved 99 % removal of LIN within 60 min and 95 % inactivation of E. coli within 20 min. Notably, density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that doping with Sm-MOF derivatives significantly reduced the activation energy barrier for hydroxyl radical (·OH) formation, thereby facilitating its generation and subsequent reaction with LIN and E. coli. In brief, this work offers innovative strategies for the development of electrodes aimed at effectively removing LIN and inactivating harmful HPB, highlighting new avenues for environmental remediation.