From Fluoride Removal to Interfacial Reactivity Enhancement: Functionalized La³⁺-Crosslinked B/CuO Energetic...

The treatment of fluoride-containing wastewater is essential for environmental protection. Although some studies have investigated fluoride recovery following adsorption, current research has primarily focused on fluoride removal and adsorbent regeneration, and the subsequent utilization of recovered fluoride as a functional component remains largely unexplored. Herein, an integrated strategy is proposed by coupling fluoride removal with the performance regulation of energetic materials. Based on the sodium alginate-La³⁺ crosslinking strategy, the as-fabricated B/CuO composite microspheres effectively immobilize fluoride ions at the interface, which subsequently act as functional modifiers to enhance combustion performance. A maximum capacity of 0.965 mg/g and 96.5% removal were achieved at 10 g/L (10 mg/ L F^-). Structural characterizations reveal selective association with La-based sites, while the material framework remains intact. Compared with the pristine B/CuO composite microspheres, the fluoride-loaded microspheres exhibit more concentrated heat release, a 32.4% increase in average crushing strength, a 42% shorter burning duration, and markedly reduced combustion product size. By demonstrating that fluoride ions recovered from wastewater can directly enhance combustion performance, this work provides a new strategy for transforming recovered fluoride into a functional component for energetic materials.