Molecularly engineered copper phthalocyanine enables flow-through electrocatalytic filtration for efficient bromate...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Bromate is a toxic disinfection byproduct requiring efficient removal technologies.
• Electrochemical methods show promise but face challenges in mass transfer and reaction kinetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an effective electrochemical system for bromate removal.
• To enhance bromate transport and interfacial electron transfer for improved efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Immobilization of copper tetraaminophthalocyanine on a carbon nanotube sponge (CuTAPc-CNTS) to create a flow-through electrochemical filter.
• Electrochemical reduction experiments under various conditions.
• Mechanistic studies using molecular DFT calculations.

Main Results:

• CuTAPc-CNTS achieved 100% bromate removal within 60 min at 2.0 mA cm^-2.
• The flow-through configuration showed a 3.8-fold kinetic enhancement compared to flow-by mode.
• Stable performance (>95%) over 120 h with low energy consumption (0.75 ± 0.11 kWh g^-1 BrO₃^-).
• High removal efficiencies (90.28-95.14%) in real water matrices.

Conclusions:

• Coupling molecular electronic regulation with flow-through electrofiltration is a viable strategy for bromate remediation.
• Amino functionalization of copper phthalocyanine significantly boosts bromate reduction kinetics.
• The developed system offers a sustainable framework for selective oxyanion reduction in water treatment.