Chapter 1Introduction

1.1Research background

1.1.1Significance of wastewater reclamation

and reuse

1.1.2Necessity of wastewater reclamation

and reuse

1.1.3Challenges of the existing disinfection

technology

1.2Electroporation disinfection

1.2.1Electroporation for biomedical application

1.2.2Electroporation for water disinfection

1.3Current research status of novel electroporation

disinfection

1.3.1Nanowire��assisted electroporation for water

disinfection

1.3.2Current reactor for nanowire��assisted

electroporation disinfection

1.3.3Methods for in��situ nanowire fabrication

1.3.4Impact of the nanowire morphology on

electroporation disinfection

1.3.5Nanomaterial strengthening method and electrode

lifetime improvement method

1.3.6Treatment efficiency of nanomaterial��enabled

disinfection technology for reclaimed

wastewater

1.4Research topics to be further investigated

1.5Research objective and content

1.5.1Research objective

1.5.2Research content

1.5.3Research roadmap

Chapter 2Development of nanowire��modified electrodes and investigation

of the microbial inactivation performance

2.1Research background

2.2Experimental materials and methods

2.2.1Experimental reagents

2.2.2CuO nanowire��modified copper foam electrodes

fabrication and disinfection device

construction

2.2.3Characterization of CuO nanowire��modified

copper foam electrodes

2.2.4Microbes and water samples used in

experiments

2.2.5Nanowire��assisted electroporation for microbial

disinfection

2.2.6Bacterial storage after nanowire��assisted

electroporation disinfection

2.2.7Free chlorine detection and current detection

during nanowire��assisted electroporation

disinfection

2.2.8Copper ion concentration detection

2.2.9Bacterial morphology analysis

2.2.10Bacterial staining experiments

2.3Fabrication of CuO nanowire��modified copper

foam electrodes

2.4Disinfection efficiency of CuO nanowire��modified copper

foam electrodes

2.4.1Disinfection efficiency of E.coli.

2.4.2Disinfection efficiency of E. faecalis, B.subtilis,

and secondary effluent from municipal wastewater

treatment plants

2.4.3Current fluctuations and free chlorine generation

during the disinfection process

2.5Bacterial inactivation mechanisms of nanowire��assisted

electroporation disinfection

2.5.1Cell morphology analysis

2.5.2Bacterial staining analysis

2.6Bacterial population fluctuations during the storage

process after disinfection

2.6.1Bacterial population fluctuations during the

storage process

2.6.2Structural analysis of bacterial morphology

during storage after low��dosage nanowire��assisted

electroporation disinfection

2.6.3Summary of the tendency of bacterial changes

during storage after disinfection

2.7Summary of this chapter

Chapter 3Effect of the nanowire morphology and electrode structure

on microbial inactivation

3.1Research background

3.2Experimental materials and methods

3.2.1Experimental reagents

3.2.2Preparation of porous electrodes modified with

nanowires of different morphologies

3.2.3Construction of nanowire��assisted electroporation

disinfection devices with different electrode

structures

3.2.4Characterization of CuO nanowire��modified

copper foam electrode

3.2.5Microbes and water samples used in

experiments

3.2.6Nanowire��assisted electroporation for microbial

disinfection

3.2.7Investigation of the disinfection contribution

of positive and negative electrode and

optimization of the reactor design

3.3Investigation on the effect of CuO nanowire morphology

on bacterial disinfection

3.3.1Factors impacting the morphology of

CuO

nanowires

3.3.2Study on the impact of CuO nanowire

morphology on bacterial disinfection

3.4Investigation on the effect of electrode structure on

bacterial disinfection

3.4.1Investigation of the effect of electrode pore

size on bacterial disinfection

3.4.2Investigation of the effect of electrode thickness

on bacterial disinfection

3.5Investigation on the effect of electrode arrangement

on bacterial disinfection

3.5.1Contribution of positive and negative electrodes

to microbial inactivation during nanowire��assisted

electroporation disinfection

3.5.2Reactor optimization to enhance electroporation

disinfection efficiency

3.6Summary of this chapter

Chapter 4Fabrication of high��durability nanowire��modified electrodes

and investigation of their microbial

disinfection performance

4.1Research background

4.2Experimental materials and methods

4.2.1Experimental reagents

4.2.2Fabrication of Cu3P nanowire��modified copper

foam electrode

4.2.3Construction of nanowire��assisted electroporation

disinfection devices

4.2.4Characterization and elemental analysis

of

nanowire��modified electrode

4.2.5Microbes and water samples used in

experiments

4.2.6Cu3P nanowire��assisted electroporation for

microbial disinfection

4.2.7Analysis of microbial inactivation

mechanisms

4.2.8Analysis of the disinfection efficiency using

nanowire��modified electrodes for

long��term operation

4.2.9Analysis of the loss mechanism of electrode

during long��term operation

4.3Fabrication and characterization of Cu3P

nanowire��modified electrodes

4.3.1Fabrication of Cu3P nanowire��modified

electrodes

4.3.2Characterization of Cu3P nanowire��modified

electrodes

4.4Disinfection efficiency and mechanism of nanowire��

assisted electroporation using Cu3P nanowire��modified

electrodes

4.4.1Disinfection efficiency of nanowire��assisted

electroporation using Cu3P nanowire��modified

electrodes

4.4.2Disinfection mechanisms of nanowire��assisted

electroporation using Cu3P nanowire��modified

electrodes

4.5Long��term disinfection performance and electrode

loss mechanism

4.5.1Long��term disinfection performance of Cu3P

nanowire��modified electrodes

4.5.2Electrode loss phenomenon during the

long��term operation

4.5.3Loss mechanism of Cu3P nanowire��modified

electrode

4.6Summary of this chapter