Additive-Free Contact-Electro-Catalysis/Vacuum Ultraviolet System for Rapid Mitigation of Antimicrobial-Resistance-Associated Contaminants in Water

Le résumé fourni par la source

The widespread occurrence of antimicrobial-resistance-associated contaminants in natural and engineered water systems poses a major threat to environmental and public health. Conventional contact-electro-catalysis (CEC) can generate interfacial H 2 O 2 and reactive oxygen species, but its efficiency is often constrained by sluggish H 2 O 2 activation and limited reactive oxygen species flux. Here, we report an additive-free contact-electro-catalysis/vacuum ultraviolet (CEC–VUV) system that uses low-cost polytetrafluoroethylene as a dielectric catalyst for rapid mitigation of antibiotics, pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes in water. Mechanistic analyses reveal that VUV irradiation activates CEC-derived H 2 O 2 and O 3 through charge–photon coupling, converting these otherwise underutilized intermediates into • OH. CEC continuously supplies interfacial charges and H 2 O 2 , while VUV promotes H 2 O 2 photolysis and O 2 -to-O 3 conversion. The generated O 3 is further activated at the charged polytetrafluoroethylene/water interface, establishing an interconnected H 2 O 2 /O 3 -to- • OH conversion network that amplifies • OH generation. This mechanism enables complete degradation of representative antibiotics within 10 min, complete inactivation of pathogenic bacteria within 5 min, effective antibiotic resistance gene removal in real water matrices, and stable bactericidal performance under continuous-flow operation.

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