Cu₂S-CuO heterostructure electrode

Near-total removal in 40 min

A Cu₂S-CuO nanorod array electrode prepared by a one-step electrochemical method promotes active hydrogen generation via Cu₂S for efficient iodate reduction.

Yingshuo, Wu · Zhang, Youkui · Jiahao, Mo · Fuping, Zhou · Li, Yuanli · Zhu, Lin · Duan, Tao

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2026

Specifications

Removal efficiency

{'zh': '100', 'en': '100'} %

Faradaic efficiency

{'zh': '98.87', 'en': '98.87'} %

Removal capacity

{'zh': '400', 'en': '400'} mg g⁻¹

Advantages

Regenerable

The degraded electrode can be revived, reducing long-term operational costs.

Hydrogen-mediated enhancement

Cu2S accelerates the generation of active hydrogen (H*), crucial for the hydrogenation steps in iodate reduction.

Robust in complex solutions

Achieves near-100% removal even in complicated aqueous solutions, making it suitable for real radioactive waste streams.

Applications

• Radioactive wastewater treatment：Reduces highly mobile iodate to immobilizable iodide, enabling complete removal in downstream fixation.
• Environmental monitoring and remediation：Offers an electrochemical method for treating iodine-contaminated water, integrable into existing remediation processes.
• Nanomaterial electrodes：The nanoarray architecture provides large surface area and enhances charge transport, boosting reduction performance.
• Electrochemical reduction：Drives reduction of high-valence iodate to lower-valence ions without external chemical reductants.