Fe/Mn‑carbon nanofibrous membrane with graphitized heterointerface for efficient electrocatalytic antibiotic...

Electrocatalytic degradation of antibiotics remains limited by active site instability, poor electron transfer, and high energy consumption. Herein, we report a flexible, self-supported Fe/Mn‑carbon composite nanofibrous membrane (Fe/Mn-CNF) via electrospinning, two-step MOF growth, and controlled carbonization. By integrating a continuous conductive nanofiber network with a graphitized Fe/Mn heterointerface, this design enables uniform dispersion of bimetallic redox centers and enhanced interfacial electronic coupling. As a result, the Fe/Mn-CNF-800 electrode achieved 97.23% TC removal within 80 min (k = 0.046 min^-1) and ultralow energy consumption (0.11 kWh·m^-3), while maintaining over 88% efficiency after eight cycles. Radical quenching and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis revealed that ¹O₂ as the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS), synergistically assisted •OH, O₂^•-, and ClO•. Density functional theory calculations further confirmed strong electronic coupling and substantial charge redistribution at the Fe/Mn‑carbon interface, enhancing both electronic conductivity and catalytic reactivity. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass analysis identified multistep TC degradation pathways, while toxicity assessment confirmed reduced toxicity after treatment. This work demonstrates a self-supported electrode with strong applicability to real water matrices, providing an efficient and low energy pathway for treating recalcitrant antibiotic pollutants.