Engineering Interface with One-Dimensional RuO2/TiO2 Hetero-Nanostructure in Electrocatalytic Membrane Electrode: Towards Highly Efficient Micropollutants Decomposition.

Decomposing micropollutants with an electrocatalytic membrane reactor is a promising alternative to traditional advanced oxidation processes due to its high efficiency and environmental compatibility. Rational interface design of electrocatalysts in the membrane electrode is critical to the performance of the reactor. We herein developed a three-dimensional porous membrane electrode via in situ growing of one-dimensional RuO2/TiO2 heterojunction nanorods on a carbon nanofiber membrane by a facile hydrothermal and subsequent thermal-treatment approach. The membrane electrode was used as the anode in a gravity-driven electrocatalytic membrane reactor, exhibiting a high degradation efficiency of over 98% towards bisphenol-A and sulfadiazine. The superior electrocatalytic performance was attributed to the 1D RuO2/TiO2 hetero-interfacial structure, which provides the fast electron transfer, high generated rate of hydroxyl radical, and large effective surface area. Our work paves a novel way towards the fundamental understanding and designing of novel highly effective and low consumptive electrocatalytic membranes for wastewater treatment.