• • CNT-based electrodes achieve high salt adsorption capacity (SAC) up to 20 mg/g, outperforming conventional activated carbon (typically <10 mg/g) due to enhanced electrical conductivity and ion transport, enabling more energy-efficient desalination.
• • Hybridization of CNTs with activated carbon (AC) at low content (e.g., 5 wt%) improves electrode conductivity by 30% and reduces charge transfer resistance, leading to faster electrosorption kinetics and higher charge efficiency (>80%).
• • MOF-derived nitrogen-doped carbon/CNT heterostructures exhibit a SAC of 25 mg/g at 1.2 V in 500 mg/L NaCl solution, with capacitance retention of 95% after 100 cycles, demonstrating excellent stability for long-term operation.
• • Flow-electrode CDI systems incorporating CNT-based materials achieve continuous desalination with salt removal rate of 0.5 mg/(cm2·min) at a current density of 20 mA/cm2, addressing scalability bottlenecks for industrial application.