ERASE-PFAS: Electrocatalytic Hydrodefluorination of PFAS Using Molecular, Metal-Free Catalysts

全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）是一个由数千种化合物组成的家族，由于其极端的稳定性和易于生产而被广泛使用。PFAS在大气中的寿命可超过2000年，广泛存在于食品、消费品、饮用水和生物体内。由于PFAS的毒性、持久性和广泛分布，迫切需要低成本和有效的治疗技术。本研究项目的目标是通过开发将PFAS降解为无毒化合物的无金属催化剂来解决这一需求。将对催化剂进行修饰以“微调”其物理和电化学性能，以达到最佳的PFAS破坏效果。这种方法的一个优点是电力驱动降解反应，不需要添加还原性化学物质。该项目的成功完成将通过PFAS处理技术的发展造福社会。该项目将吸引学生和公众参与研究，以促进对化学可持续发展的理解。这些高度整合的研究和教育活动的成果解决了长期存在的环境挑战。它们还将为教育下一代STEM劳动力提供丰富的平台，同时提高公众的科学素养。由于供水系统受到PFAS的广泛污染，国家迫切需要有效和低成本的PFAS处理技术。本提案的目标是通过一个多阶段的研究项目来满足这一需求，设计、合成和评估用于PFAS电催化加氢除氟的分子、无金属催化剂的催化机制和性能。该工艺使用分子C-， H-， O-和n基催化剂的外部功能球来实现和提高催化活性，选择性和稳定性。从这项研究中获得的知识将用于制定优化PFAS加氢除氟的设计原则。本研究的成功完成为节能环保的PFAS处理技术的发展带来了巨大的希望。外展活动将侧重于教育来自服务不足社区的K-12学生，让他们了解化学如何促进可持续性，并鼓励他们从事STEM领域的职业。在辛辛那提博物馆中心举办的年度可持续发展主题日将向公众介绍基础研究如何引领科学和技术，从而改善他们的日常生活。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of thousands of compounds that have been widely used due to their extreme stability and ease of production. The atmospheric lifetime of PFAS can exceed 2000 years, and they have been widely detected in food, consumer products, drinking water, and living organisms. The toxicity, persistence, and widespread distribution of PFAS has created an urgent need for low cost and effective treatment technologies. The objective of this research project is to address this need through the development of metal-free catalysts that degrade PFAS to non-toxic compounds. The catalysts will be modified to “fine tune” the physical and electrochemical properties to achieve optimal PFAS destruction. An advantage of this approach is that electricity drives the degradation reaction, removing the need for adding reducing chemicals. Successful completion of this project will benefit society through the development of PFAS treatment technology. This project will engage students and the general public in research to promote understanding of chemistry for sustainability. The outcomes of these highly integrated research and education activities address long-standing environmental challenges. They also will provide a rich platform for educating the next-generation STEM workforce, while increasing the scientific literacy of the general public.Widespread contamination of water supplies with PFAS has created an urgent national need for effective and low cost PFAS treatment technology. The goal of this proposal is to address this need through a multi-stage research project to design, synthesize, and evaluate the catalytic mechanisms and performance of molecular, metal-free catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrodefluorination of PFAS. This process uses outer functional spheres of molecular C-, H-, O-, and N-based catalysts to enable and enhance catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability. The knowledge generated from this research will be used to develop design principles for optimizing PFAS hydrodefluorination. Successful completion of this research holds great promise for the development of energy‐efficient and environmentally benign PFAS treatment technology. Outreach activities will focus on educating K-12 students from underserved communities about how chemistry can promote sustainability and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM. An annual sustainability-themed day at the Cincinnati Museum Center will inform the public about how fundamental research leads to science and technology that enhances their daily lives.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.