Kumaravel, SakthivelSakthivelKumaravelDurai, ManiManiDuraiErusappan, ElangovanElangovanErusappanDevarayapalli, Kamakshaiah CharyuluKamakshaiah CharyuluDevarayapalliArun ThirumuruganSandoval-Hevia, GabrielaGabrielaSandoval-HeviaHatshan, Mohammad RafeMohammad RafeHatshanKim, BolamBolamKimLee, Dae SungDae SungLee2026-07-072026-07-072026-01JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING, 81, 109225 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.1092252214-7144https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12740/24596Developing cost-effective, durable, and highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for alkaline natural seawater (ASW) electrolysis remains a significant challenge. In this study, metal-organic frameworks (MOF)-derived NiFe2O4 (MNF), NiFe2O4@MXene (NFMX), and x% CeO2/NiFe2O4@MXene (x = 2.5, 5, and 7.5 wt%;" denoted as 1-CNFMX, 2-CNFMX, and 3-CNFMX, respectively) with abundant oxygen vacancies were synthesized via an in-situ solvothermal method. The electrocatalytic performance of the synthesized materials was investigated in an ASW electrolyte. Among them, the 2-CNFMX@nickel foam (NF) electrode exhibited outstanding bifunctional activity, with low overpotentials (eta) of 240 mV and 340 mV at current densities (J) of 10 and 100 mA/cm(2) for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and 41 mV and 192 mV at 10 and 100 mA/cm(2) for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), respectively. These results outperform those of benchmark electrodes IrO2@NF and Pt/C@NF. In addition, the system achieved high Faradaic efficiencies of similar to 96.24 % for OER and similar to 97.31 % for HER, demonstrating its potential for large-scale industrial applications. Furthermore, the 2-CNFMX material exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity, achieving 99 % degradation of ciprofloxacin under white light-emitting diode irradiation. This work presents a promising strategy for developing multifunctional catalysts capable of efficient seawater electrolysis and simultaneous degradation of pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater."info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessElectrocatalystCeO2/NiFe2O4@MXeneSeawaterPhotocatalystCiprofloxacinArticulohttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.109225