Flexible porous carbon fiber composite electrodes for hydrogen and chlorine production with antibacterial applications

Abstract

This work developed flexible porous carbon fiber composite electrodes (Pt@C-PES cathode/RuO2@C-PES anode) for hydrogen and chlorine evolution reactions (HER/CER) in acidic NaCl electrolyte (1 M HCl + 5 M NaCl). Functionalized with Pt and RuO2 via electrodeposition and drop-coating, the electrodes demonstrated low overpotentials of 71 mV@25 mA cm-2 (HER) and 77 mV@25 mA cm-2 (CER). Applied in a two-electrode H-cell system, Faradaic efficiencies of 99.14% (HER) and 98% (CER) were achieved at a current density of 25 mA cm-2, and 30 mL of iodine solution (66.25 mmol L-1) was obtained within 5 hours for extensive sterilization (5 types of bacteria). As antibacterial electrodes, in-situ generated active chlorine enabled 100% inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus within 30 minutes. The porous structure, good hydrophilicity and mechanical flexibility of the electrodes enhanced electrolyte penetration, catalytic activity and wearability. This study provides a high-performance flexible electrode for acidic NaCl electrolysis, reducing energy consumption while broadening applications in hydrogen/chlorine production and antibacterial applications.

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Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Apr 2025
Accepted
23 Jul 2025
First published
29 Jul 2025

Nanoscale, 2025, Accepted Manuscript

Flexible porous carbon fiber composite electrodes for hydrogen and chlorine production with antibacterial applications

J. Liang, E. Hu, R. Zhang, C. Zhou, L. Ren, L. Meng, Y. Li, Q. Yan, W. Hu and W. Fang, Nanoscale, 2025, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D5NR01689D

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