FeIII-Driven Self-Cycled Fenton via Contact-Electro-Catalysis for Water Purification

FeIII-Driven Self-Cycled Fenton via Contact-Electro-Catalysis for Water Purification | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article FeIII-Driven Self-Cycled Fenton via Contact-Electro-Catalysis for Water Purification Dongmei Ma, Jin Zhang, Wei Li, Jinxing Ma, Kuanchang He, Kui Yang, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6143363/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 May, 2025 Read the published version in npj Clean Water → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract While Self-cycled Fenton (SC-Fenton) systems represent an innovative advancement in water purification technologies, their practical implementation remains constrained by inefficient in-situ H2O2 generation. To address this limitation, we developed a mechano-driven contact-electro-catalysis (CEC) platform employing fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) as a triboelectric catalyst. Under ultrasound irradiation, this system achieves an exceptional H2O2 generation rate of 7.67 mmol·gcat–1·h–1, outperforming conventional piezo-catalysis systems. Mechanistic studies reveal that a built interfacial electric field generated on FEP surface effectively reduces the free energy for the indirect 2e– water oxidation pathway. This unique characteristic promotes the generation of interfacial hydroxyl radical (*OH) and enhances its subsequent recombination into H2O2. The strategic integration of FeIII as a catalytic initiator with the CEC system enables the establishment of SC-Fenton reaction (FeIII/FEP/CEC). Notably, the contact-electrification electrons accumulated on the FEP interface drive efficient FeIII/FeII redox cycling, achieving a remarkable degradation rate for sulfadiazine at 0.125 min–1. This enhanced catalytic performance stems from FeIII-mediated amplification of dissociative hydroxyl radical (•OH) generation. This study provides fundamental insights into the underlying mechanisms of CEC mediated FeIII-initiated SC-Fenton reaction, offering new possibilities for sustainable water purification processes. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Physical sciences/Chemistry/Environmental chemistry Self-cycled Fenton Fluorocarbon polymers Water oxidation reaction Interfacial electric field Hydroxyl radical Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files CleannpjCleanWaterSI.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 May, 2025 Read the published version in npj Clean Water → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accepted 09 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 08 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 05 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 30 Apr, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 30 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 30 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 23 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6143363","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":446814907,"identity":"4fa7e1e2-447e-4a0d-a4b7-e4082441c5a9","order_by":0,"name":"Dongmei Ma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dongguan University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dongmei","middleName":"","lastName":"Ma","suffix":""},{"id":446814908,"identity":"ebb7eaf5-1193-42dd-b2bc-f21ad05cb99e","order_by":1,"name":"Jin Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dongguan University of 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