Ferroelectric Polarization Orientation Enables Exceptional Capacitive Deionization via Vertical Local Electric Field Enhancement

ABSTRACT The controlled alignment of polarization fields in electrode materials presents a critical yet underexplored opportunity to enhance capacitive deionization performance. While heterogeneous electrodes naturally develop local polarization under applied electric field, the typically disordered orientation of these field leads to mutual cancellation effects that impair ion transport and electric double layer (EDL) formation. In response, this work demonstrates a new strategy through vertical local electric field enhancement (V‐LEFE), achieved by precisely engineering the polarization characteristics of ferroelectric materials. Our systematic investigation reveals that the designed V‐LEFE facilitates directional electron migration to the electrode surface, simultaneously accelerating ion diffusion kinetics (evidenced by a 74% increase in Na + diffusion coefficient to 3.47 × 10 −9 cm 2 /s) and reconstructing more efficient EDL structures. The resulting V‐LEFE electrode achieves exceptional desalination performance, including a high Na + adsorption capacity of 2.49 mmol/g (154% higher than pristine electrode) at 1.2 V in 400 mg/L NaCl solution, while maintaining outstanding cycling stability (95.5% retention after 100 cycles) and fast salt adsorption rate (3.60 mg/g/min). These findings not only elucidate the fundamental role of polarization alignment in interfacial processes but also establish a new design approach for developing high‐efficiency and sustainable desalination systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-05-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202529080
Primary Topic
Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Ferroelectric Polarization Orientation Enables Exceptional Capacitive Deionization via Vertical Local Electric Field Enhancement

Nithima Khaorapapong, Ying She, Chunyi Wen, Yiming Yang et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques
article

Ferroelectric Polarization Orientation Enables Exceptional Capacitive Deionization via Vertical Local Electric Field Enhancement

Nithima Khaorapapong, Ying She, Chunyi Wen, Yiming Yang, Yanbiao Liu, Yusuke Yamauchi, Mohua Li, Wenjie Wu, Xingtao Xu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT The controlled alignment of polarization fields in electrode materials presents a critical yet underexplored opportunity to enhance capacitive deionization performance. While heterogeneous electrodes naturally develop local polarization under applied electric field, the typically disordered orientation of these field leads to mutual cancellation effects that impair ion transport and electric double layer (EDL) formation. In response, this work demonstrates a new strategy through vertical local electric field enhancement (V‐LEFE), achieved by precisely engineering the polarization characteristics of ferroelectric materials. Our systematic investigation reveals that the designed V‐LEFE facilitates directional electron migration to the electrode surface, simultaneously accelerating ion diffusion kinetics (evidenced by a 74% increase in Na + diffusion coefficient to 3.47 × 10 −9 cm 2 /s) and reconstructing more efficient EDL structures. The resulting V‐LEFE electrode achieves exceptional desalination performance, including a high Na + adsorption capacity of 2.49 mmol/g (154% higher than pristine electrode) at 1.2 V in 400 mg/L NaCl solution, while maintaining outstanding cycling stability (95.5% retention after 100 cycles) and fast salt adsorption rate (3.60 mg/g/min). These findings not only elucidate the fundamental role of polarization alignment in interfacial processes but also establish a new design approach for developing high‐efficiency and sustainable desalination systems.

Advanced Functional Materials
The University of Queensland (AU), Khon Kaen University (TH), Dalian University of Technology (CN), Zhejiang Ocean University (CN), Zhejiang Environmental Monitoring Center (CN), Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CN), Nagoya University (JP)
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques
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