The 11th International Conference on Water Resource and Environment (WRE 2025)

Abstract: Electrochemical O2 activation offers a green approach for efficient synthesis of singlet oxygen (1O2). However, it is commonly determined by adsorption-dependent O2 activation and transformation and can suffer from the sluggish desorption of surface-bounded superoxide species (•O2−*/•OOH*). Our recent works have demonstrated the adsorption/desorption-independent O2 activation strategy for efficient 1O2 electrosynthesis. Firstly, a dual O2 coactivation pathway on shortened Fe1−OV−Ti sites is constructed by subtly controlling the distance of adjacent catalytic sites. This desorption-independent pathway bypasses the formidable •O2−*/•OOH* desorption process, as the Ti−•O2− and Fe−•OOH will be recombined through exothermic disproportionate reaction on catalyst surface. Furthermore, an adsorption-independent O2 activation pathway via an O2 mono-hydrogenation process is discovered on compressive-strained rutile TiO2 (CSR−TiO2). This compressive-strained surface suppresses the formation of reductive unsaturated sites for the O2 adsorption and enhance the reductive ability of atomic hydrogen (H*), favouring the O2 mono-hydrogenation pathway and avoiding the generation of traditional surface-bound •OOH*. Based on these adsorption/desorption-independent O2 activation pathway, we realize a state-of-the-art 1O2 generation rate (148.26 μmol l−1 min−1 in acid condition, 54.5 μmol l−1 min−1 in neutral condition). This 1O2 electrosynthesis system, which requires only oxygen and renewable electricity, enhances the biodegradability of wastewater while avoiding the generation of toxic substances, thereby offering a promising and sustainable pretreatment solution.

Biography: Prof. Yancai Yao is an associate professor in the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). She obtained her Ph.D. from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei. Dr. Yao’s research specializes in the atomic-scale controlled synthesis of functional materials and electrochemical water treatment technologies. As the first or corresponding author, she has published 28 SCI papers in journals such as Nat. Catal., Nat. Synth., Nat. Commun., PNAS, JACS, Angew, ES&T, etc. Her work have garnered significant international attention, with highlights in Nature Catalysis, Chemical Reviews, Technology Times, and EurekAlert!, as well as extensive media coverage by Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily and Science Network. She has been honored with the "Top 2% Global Scientists List", the "Outstanding Graduate Supervisor Award" at the ACS Annual Conference, the "President’s Outstanding Award" from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the "Top 100 Excellent Doctoral Theses" award by CAS. She has also served as a Young Editor for international journals such as National Science Open, Carbon Neutralization, and EcoEnergy.