Intensive electron transfer of a single-atom Fe-based catalytic ceramic membrane for municipal wastewater treatment: The synergistic effects of nitrogen vacancy defect and ultrathin nanostructure

The integration of membrane separation with heterogeneous advanced oxidation processes is a prospective strategy for the elimination of contaminants during wastewater treatment. Fe-based catalysts and the green oxidant peracetic acid (PAA) are desirable candidates for the development of catalytic membranes because they are environmentally friendly. However, the construction of catalytic ceramic membranes (CMs) modified with efficient Fe-based catalysts that generate increased amounts of high-valent Fe-O species during PAA activation for the degradation of specific pollutants, especially during instantaneous membrane filtration, remains challenging. Herein, a single-atom Fe-based catalytic CM was fabricated and further optimized via the “electron enrichment + electron-transfer enhancement” method, which specifically refers to the simultaneous introduction of nitrogen vacancy (Nv) defects and the construction of ultrathin nanostructures. The CM-UCNv-Fe/PAA system exhibited outstanding bisphenol A (BPA) removal performance, with a first-order rate constant of 0.078 ms^-1 (4680 min^-1), which was 37 times greater than that of CM-BCN-Fe/PAA system (126 min^-1). In addition, the remarkable environmental adaptability, stability and low Fe leakage underscored its practical application potential. Mechanistic investigations revealed that Fe(V)=O was the predominant reactive oxygen species. Multi-scaled characterization and theoretical calculations confirmed that engineered Nv defects facilitated the construction of electron-rich single-atom Fe sites, which had the potential to supply more electrons. Porous ultrathin nanosheets exposed more Fe active sites, and many microinterfaces within the catalytic layers of the CM increased the possibility of contact between the Fe sites and PAA. The synergy of them enabled intensive electron transfer from Fe sites to PAA, which was the driving force for Fe(V)=O conversion during transient membrane filtration. In addition, the efficacy of the catalytic CM in municipal wastewater treatment and membrane fouling control were investigated. This work expands the research on the intensive electron transfer of a single-atom Fe-based catalytic CM for increased Fe(V)=O conversion via Nv defect introduction and ultrathin nanostructure construction.