An Electron Relay Driven by Built‐in Electric Fields for Self‐Sustaining and External‐Energy‐Free Fenton‐Like Catalysis

ABSTRACT Efficiency in Fenton‐like processes is often bottlenecked by the sluggish redox cycling of metal centers. Herein, we report a self‐sustaining and energy‐free catalysis strategy by constructing an intermetallic potential difference‐induced built‐in electric field (BIEF) to drive an “electron relay” within bimetallic spinels (AB 2 O 4 A = Ni, Cu, Zn; B = Co, Fe, Mn). The intrinsic potential gradient between the A‐site and B‐site metals triggers a spontaneous charge redistribution, establishing an atomic‐level electron transmission channel. Experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal that CuCo 2 O 4 possesses the most robust BIEF, which significantly accelerates the “electron relay” for H 2 O 2 activation. This mechanism enables a closed‐loop valence cycling between (Cu(II)/Cu(I) and Co(III)/Co(II)), achieving highly efficient and continuous generation of reactive oxygen species without any external energy input. Consequently, the CuCo 2 O 4 system exhibits a bisphenol A degradation rate that is 2.45 and 5.69 times higher than those of CuFe 2 O 4 and CuMn 2 O 4 respectively, along with exceptional stability across a wide pH range (5–9). When integrated into a hollow fiber membrane, the system demonstrates a high flux of 318 L·m −2 ·h −1 and long‐term operational durability. This work provides a transformative perspective on designing autonomous catalytic systems for sustainable water remediation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2026-05-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.4309718
Primary Topic
Advanced oxidation water treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

An Electron Relay Driven by Built‐in Electric Fields for Self‐Sustaining and External‐Energy‐Free Fenton‐Like Catalysis

Xiaofeng Zeng, Caihua Liu, Ming Sun, Xing Xu et al.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Advanced oxidation water treatment
article

An Electron Relay Driven by Built‐in Electric Fields for Self‐Sustaining and External‐Energy‐Free Fenton‐Like Catalysis

Xiaofeng Zeng, Caihua Liu, Ming Sun, Xing Xu, Xiaoming Peng, Yingtang Zhou, Junhui Zhou, Ning Li, Minglei Feng, Meng Zhang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Efficiency in Fenton‐like processes is often bottlenecked by the sluggish redox cycling of metal centers. Herein, we report a self‐sustaining and energy‐free catalysis strategy by constructing an intermetallic potential difference‐induced built‐in electric field (BIEF) to drive an “electron relay” within bimetallic spinels (AB 2 O 4 A = Ni, Cu, Zn; B = Co, Fe, Mn). The intrinsic potential gradient between the A‐site and B‐site metals triggers a spontaneous charge redistribution, establishing an atomic‐level electron transmission channel. Experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal that CuCo 2 O 4 possesses the most robust BIEF, which significantly accelerates the “electron relay” for H 2 O 2 activation. This mechanism enables a closed‐loop valence cycling between (Cu(II)/Cu(I) and Co(III)/Co(II)), achieving highly efficient and continuous generation of reactive oxygen species without any external energy input. Consequently, the CuCo 2 O 4 system exhibits a bisphenol A degradation rate that is 2.45 and 5.69 times higher than those of CuFe 2 O 4 and CuMn 2 O 4 respectively, along with exceptional stability across a wide pH range (5–9). When integrated into a hollow fiber membrane, the system demonstrates a high flux of 318 L·m −2 ·h −1 and long‐term operational durability. This work provides a transformative perspective on designing autonomous catalytic systems for sustainable water remediation.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Tianjin University of Science and Technology (CN), East China Jiaotong University (CN), Tianjin University (CN), Zhejiang Ocean University (CN), Jiangxi Academy of Environmental Sciences (CN), Wuyi University (CN), Shandong University of Science and Technology (CN), Wuyi University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Advanced oxidation water treatment
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