Fe/Mn‑carbon nanofibrous membrane with graphitized heterointerface for efficient electrocatalytic antibiotic degradation

A flexible self-supported Fe/Mn-CNF anode derived from MOFs was constructed. • Fe/Mn-CNFs-800 achieve superior electrocatalytic efficiency for TC degradation. • Fe/Mn-CNFs-800 exhibit strong flexibility, stability, and recyclability. • Graphitized Fe/Mn‑carbon interface enhances electron transfer and ROS generation. Electrocatalytic degradation of antibiotics remains limited by active site instability, poor electron transfer, and high energy consumption. Herein, we report a flexible, self-supported Fe/Mn‑carbon composite nanofibrous membrane (Fe/Mn-CNF) via electrospinning, two-step MOF growth, and controlled carbonization. By integrating a continuous conductive nanofiber network with a graphitized Fe/Mn heterointerface, this design enables uniform dispersion of bimetallic redox centers and enhanced interfacial electronic coupling. As a result, the Fe/Mn-CNF-800 electrode achieved 97.23% TC removal within 80 min (k = 0.046 min −1 ) and ultralow energy consumption (0.11 kWh·m −3 ), while maintaining over 88% efficiency after eight cycles. Radical quenching and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis revealed that 1 O 2 as the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS), synergistically assisted •OH, O 2 • − ${\mathrm{O}}_2^{•-}$ , and ClO•. Density functional theory calculations further confirmed strong electronic coupling and substantial charge redistribution at the Fe/Mn‑carbon interface, enhancing both electronic conductivity and catalytic reactivity. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass analysis identified multistep TC degradation pathways, while toxicity assessment confirmed reduced toxicity after treatment. This work demonstrates a self-supported electrode with strong applicability to real water matrices, providing an efficient and low energy pathway for treating recalcitrant antibiotic pollutants. Download: Download high-res image (219KB) Download: Download full-size image