The promotion mechanism of different nitrogen doping types on the catalytic activity of activated carbon electro-Fenton cathode: Simultaneous promotion of H2O2 generation and phenol degradation ability

Doping with nitrogen atoms can improve the catalytic activity of activated carbon cathodes in electro-Fenton systems, but currently there is a lack of understanding of the catalytic mechanism, which limits the further development of high-performance activated carbon cathodes. Here, a multi-scale exploration was conducted using density functional theory and experimental methods to investigate the mechanism of different nitrogen doping types promoting the redox performance of activated carbon cathodes and the degradation of phenol. The density functional theory results indicate that the introduction of nitrogen atoms enhances the binding ability between carbon substrates and oxygen-containing substances, promotes the localization of surrounding electrons, and makes it easier for O