Contact-electro-catalysis for environmental remediation and resource recycling: from mechanistic fundamentals to engineering translation

Abstract

Contact-electro-catalysis (CEC) is an emerging catalytic approach that converts mechanical energy into chemical redox activity through contact-electrification-induced interfacial electron transfer. By enabling redox reactions at dynamically contacting interfaces without continuous electrical bias or light irradiation, CEC expands the catalyst landscape beyond conventional semiconductors and metals to include dielectric polymers and insulating oxides. This unique feature has stimulated growing interest in its applications for pollutant degradation, hydrogen peroxide production, methane oxidation, carbon dioxide reduction, and metal recovery. This review provides a systematic assessment from an integrated mechanism–material–engineering perspective. At its core, it constructs a unified mechanistic framework that establishes intrinsic logical connections across diverse applications based on common electron-transfer pathways. Furthermore, we systematically evaluate various material modification strategies designed to enhance CEC performance. Our analysis reveals that despite the broad applicability of CEC, the core bottleneck impeding its translation to practical implementation is the lack of standardized, quantitative performance reporting protocols. Current literature frequently omits critical quantitative metrics, including mechanical energy input, energy-normalized product yields, and long-term catalyst stability under realistic operating conditions. While surveying typical application scenarios, this review critically dissects current limitations in the field, such as insufficient mechanistic verification techniques, challenges in controlling product selectivity, and constraints in reactor scale-up. Accordingly, we propose a set of standardized data-reporting guidelines and outline key future research directions—specifically, operando characterization, theory-guided material discovery, and process engineering optimization—aiming to advance CEC from proof-of-concept laboratory studies toward practical engineering applications in environmental remediation and energy conversion.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

CEC / Interfacial charge transfer / Reactive oxygen species (ROS) / Carbon neutrality / Metal resources

Highlight

	● Reveals nanoscale interfacial mechanisms governing contact electrocatalysis.
	● Highlights structure-property-reactivity relations in CEC materials design.
	● Identifies barriers to practical environmental and energy applications.

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