“…The desalination performance of an FCDI device largely depends on the construction of effective flow electrodes, i.e., the interconnection of suspended particles for a conductive network, the large accessible area of particles for ion adsorption, and the compatible solid/liquid interface for surface wetting and ion migration. ,, Carbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and activated carbon (AC), often show exceptional electrical properties and thus are widely accepted as candidates for an FCDI electrode, but the hydrophobic surface property makes them not able to easily form a uniformly dispersed aqueous slurry. ,− Well, a known fact of carbon material is that a trade-off exists between electrical conductivity and surface hydrophilicity. In other words, electrical conductivity is required for constructing an electrical network in the flow electrode, while it is often sacrificed during surface wettability treatment due to the grafting of hydrophilic groups.…”