Unraveling the Structure-selectivity Nexus: Electrode Materials for Selective Phosphorus Removal and Recovery via Capacitive Deionization: A systematic Review

Sheng Wen¹, Yu Ma¹, Yang Fan^1,*, Jinxing Lin, Jiaqi Chen, Simiao Li, Huakun Pan, Xinxi Teng, Shupeng Zhang*

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, PR China

¹ These authors contributed equally to this work.

^* Corresponding authors. 

       The global escalating phosphorus (P) levels in water have posed a severe threat to aquatic ecosystems, water quality, human health as well as socioeconomic development. In recent years, capacitive deionization (CDI) has emerged as an promising electrochemical water treatment technology and shown significant advantages in selective removal and recovery of phosphates in water. Electrode materials are the core factor in determining electrosorption performance and efficiency. However, current electrode materials face key bottlenecks including the low selectivity and/or poor stability/conductivity, alongside a lack of deep and systematic understanding of the structure-selectivity relationship. In this review, the focus is on the systematical classification and analysis of electrode materials in current research from the perspectives of their inherent structural characteristics and adsorption mechanisms. Then, based on the analysis, the structure-selectivity relationship between electrode structures and electrosorption performance is established. Finally, the existing problems and limitations in current materials are pointed out and future directions of optimization are suggested. This review offers both theoretical and practical significance to the future design of advanced electrode materials for selective phosphorus removal and recovery via CDI in the realm of wastewater treatment.

    全球水体中磷（P）含量的不断升高，已对水生生态系统、水质、人类健康以及社会经济发展构成严重威胁。近年来，电容去离子（CDI）作为一种极具潜力的电化学水处理技术应运而生，在水体中磷酸盐的选择性去除与回收方面展现出显著优势。电极材料是决定电吸附性能与效率的核心因素，但当前电极材料仍面临选择性低、稳定性/导电性不佳等关键瓶颈，同时对其结构-选择性关系缺乏深入系统的认知。本文综述系统梳理并分析了当前研究中各类电极材料，重点从材料固有结构特征及吸附机理视角进行分类探讨；在此基础上，建立了电极结构与电吸附性能之间的结构 - 选择性关联；最后，指出了现有材料存在的问题与局限，并提出了未来的优化方向。该综述为废水处理领域中 CDI 技术选择性除磷与回收用先进电极材料的设计开发，提供了重要的理论参考与实践指导意义。

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