Recently, redox-mediated deionization (Redox-DI) has emerged as a promising ion separation process owing to its sustainable ion removal performance and feasibility. The characteristic cell configuration of Redox-DI involves two independent channels for treating water and supporting electrolytes containing redox couples in a multichannel system. This leads to continuous desalination mediated by a sustainable redox reaction on porous carbon electrodes, which is the preferred material in Redox-DI since it governs energy efficiency and ion removal performance. In particular, the activated carbon cloth (ACC) is a promising electrode due to its attractive features including simple shaping as a binder-free electrode and a large inter-fiber space assisting active mass transfer. However, very few studies have reported on the advancement of redox reactions on ACC electrodes, including electrocatalytic activity and rate capability. Therefore, this study aimed to produce a simple nitrogen-doped porous carbon cloth (N-ACC) electrode to improve the electrocatalytic activity for redox reactions, resulting in enhanced desalination performance of Redox-DI. The nitrogen content in N-ACC increased to approximately 3 at.% and was uniformly distributed on the surface of ACC using urea as a nitrogen source at mild temperature of 300 °C. N-ACC showed remarkable desalination performance with a salt removal rate (SRR) of 69.1 mg/g-h, a charge efficiency of 95.3%, and energy consumption of 122.0 kJ/mol. This is a 58.3% improvement in the SRR compared to ACC. In addition, through a parametric investigation with different cell voltages and flow rates, a high SRR (70–80 mg/g-h) and charge efficiency (90–100%) of N-ACC was demonstrated. N-doped ACC enhances the electrocatalytic activity, including fast reaction kinetics and low charge transfer resistance to redox couple reactions.

最近，氧化还原介导的去离子（Redox-DI）由于其可持续的离子去除性能和可行性而成为一种有前途的离子分离工艺。Redox-DI 的特征电池配置涉及两个独立的通道，用于在多通道系统中处理水和含有氧化还原对的支持电解质。这导致由多孔碳电极上的可持续氧化还原反应介导的连续脱盐，这是 Redox-DI 中的首选材料，因为它控制着能源效率和离子去除性能。特别是，活性炭布（ACC）是一种很有前途的电极，因为它具有吸引人的特点，包括作为无粘合剂电极的简单成型和有助于活性物质传递的大纤维间空间。然而，很少有研究报告了 ACC 电极上氧化还原反应的进展，包括电催化活性和倍率能力。因此，本研究旨在生产一种简单的氮掺杂多孔碳布 (N-ACC) 电极，以提高氧化还原反应的电催化活性，从而提高 Redox-DI 的脱盐性能。N-ACC 中的氮含量增加到大约 3 at.%，并在 300 °C 的温和温度下使用尿素作为氮源均匀分布在 ACC 表面。N-ACC显示出显着的脱盐性能，脱盐率（SRR）为69.1 mg/gh，充电效率为95.3%，能耗为122.0 kJ/mol。与 ACC 相比，SRR 提高了 58.3%。此外，通过对不同电池电压和流速的参数研究，证明了 N-ACC 的高 SRR (70-80 mg/gh) 和充电效率 (90-100%)。N 掺杂的 ACC 增强了电催化活性，包括快速反应动力学和对氧化还原对反应的低电荷转移阻力。