Nitrogen-doped porous carbon with regulated pore structure and surface wettability as flow electrodes for efficient capacitive deionization

• Published in: Journal of electroanalytical chemistry (Lausanne, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-07, Vol.965, p.118356, Article 118356
• Main Authors: Xiong, Jingjing, Deng, Zhengzhong, Zhu, Zetao, Jiang, Guancong, Qiu, Yuefeng, Chen, Minjiao, Mu, Liwen, Lu, Xiaohua, Zhu, Jiahua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Desalination; Electrical conductive network; Nitrogen self-doped; Surface wettability
• ISSN: 1572-6657; 1873-2569
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2024.118356

•Nitrogen-doped porous carbon with controlled pore structure and wettability was synthesized.•The nitrogen-rich feature of carbon material enables both electrical conductivity and surface wettability.•SMS-AC realizes large adsorption capacity of 8.38 mg/g and high charge efficiency of 90.66 % Nitrogen-doped porous carbon with controlled pore structure and wettability was synthesized using spent mushroom substrate (SMS) via physical activation process. The nitrogen-rich feature of precursor enables the carbon material to possess both electrical conductivity and surface wettability, creating an effective conducting network in flow electrodes. These materials have been proven to be highly efficient for deionization due to their ability of maintaining surface wettability and electrical conductivity. Our results show that the SMS-1.5 sample has a high adsorption capacity of 8.38 mg/g, which is 1.8 times greater than the commercial YP-50. The corresponding charge efficiency was up to 90.66 % after being exposed to 1.6 g/L NaCl feed solution for 120 min in flow electrode capacitive deionization device. This study highlights the significance of the inherent nitrogen element in biomass for the synergistic promotion of electrical conductivity and surface wettability, providing a strategy for designing porous carbons with excellent desalination performance.