Fluoride pollution has become a major concern because of its adverse effects on human health. However, the removal capacity of defluorination agents in traditional methods is far from satisfactory. Herein, capacitive removal of F- ions via creating multiple capture sites in a modulatory heterostructure has been originally demonstrated. The heterostructure of uniformly dispersed Al2O3 coating on hollow porous nitrogen-doped carbon frameworks was precisely synthesized by atomic layer deposition. An exceptional F- ion removal efficiency at 1.2 V (95.8 and 92.9% in 5 and 10 mg/L F- solutions, respectively) could be finally achieved, with a good regeneration ability after 20 consecutive defluorination cycles. Furthermore, we investigated the removal mechanisms of F- ions by in situ Raman, in situ X-ray diffraction, and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The promotional removal capacity was realized by the multiple capture sites of the reversible conversion of Al-F species and the insertion of F- ions into the carbon skeleton. This work offers an important new pathway and deep understanding for efficient removal of F- ions from wastewater.
Keywords: capacitive removal; fluoride ions; modulatory heterostructure; multiple capture sites; wastewater.