Bidirectional Wastewater Treatment via Plasmonic Ammonia Electrooxidation and 2e⁻ Oxygen Reduction in a Zn–O₂ battery
발표자
김정현 (이화여자대학교)
연구책임자
김동하 (이화여자대학교)
초록
내용
Zinc–air batteries (ZABs) offer high theoretical energy density (1218 Wh kg⁻¹) and low-cost zinc, but their efficiency is limited by the high overpotential of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during charging, whose onset potential is close to carbon corrosion, causing electrode degradation. Here, the OER is replaced with plasmon-enhanced ammonia oxidation (AOR) to lower charging voltage and avoid carbon corrosion. A Au NP/Pt/Ti felt anode generates hot carriers under 532 nm light, accelerating AOR and reducing charging voltage by ~1.16 V (vs. Zn) while oxidizing NH₃ to N₂. During discharge, a two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e⁻ ORR) catalyzed by graphitic ordered mesoporous carbon (GOMC) selectively produces H₂O₂ for additional ammonia degradation. A bipolar membrane separates the electrodes, enabling high voltage efficiency, NH₃ removal, H₂O₂ generation, and carbon corrosion suppression, demonstrating a multifunctional, sustainable ZAB platform.