REVIEW

Potential and prospects in molecular orbital level micro-electric field for low energy consumption water purification

Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay Area, Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China

^* Corresponding author (email: huchun@gzhu.edu.cn)

Received: 16 March 2023
Revised: 2 June 2023
Accepted: 4 July 2023

Abstract

Conventional water purification technologies struggle to simultaneously address purification efficiency and energy consumption. Molecular orbital level surface micro-electric field (MEF)-driven water purification is an original and innovative concept conceived and developed by our group in recent years. The core idea involves creating electron-rich and electron-poor micro-areas on the nanomaterial surface, which drive pollutants or H₂O molecules to provide electrons in the electron-poor micro-areas while other environmental factors (such as H₂O₂ and O₂) obtain electrons in the electron-rich micro-areas. This process effectively utilizes the internal energy contained within wastewater and emerging contaminants (ECs). Centered on this core, this review systematically examines the discovery, construction, and characteristics of MEF and MEF-like systems and summarizes their application directions. The challenges, bottlenecks, and future development directions of MEF technology are also analyzed and discussed. Reviews of MEFs can facilitate the development of low-consumption, high-efficiency water purification technologies.