Carbon-Based Electrodes for Capacitive Deionization and Water Desalination
This research community develops carbon-based electrode materials to remove dissolved ions from water, primarily for desalinating brackish water and treating industrial wastewater containing heavy metals or excess salts.
The work centers on designing porous carbon structures, including activated carbon, graphene oxide, and nitrogen-doped carbon, to maximize ion capture capacity. Researchers frequently combine these carbon materials with other components, such as metal oxides, conductive polymers, or MXenes, to create hybrid electrodes that enhance charge storage and ion selectivity. The primary applications involve removing chloride ions and other salts from brackish water, as well as extracting specific heavy metals like lead, silver, or lithium from wastewater streams. The recurring focus is on improving the efficiency, rate, and selectivity of these electrochemical processes through hierarchical pore structures and surface chemical modifications.
The community is most heavily associated with carbon research, where it represents 0.1% of all tracked carbon papers, and chlorine research, where it accounts for 0.1% of tracked chlorine papers. It also contributes to nitrogen and sodium research, though with smaller shares.
The community comprises 1,911 papers, published predominantly in Desalination, Separation and Purification Technology, and Chemical Engineering Journal.
Recent work continues to focus on advanced electrode architectures, including heterostructures involving bismuth oxychloride, MXenes, and metal-organic frameworks, aimed at improving chloride removal and selective ion extraction from complex water matrices.