Spatial confinement of a Co3O4 catalyst in hollow metal-organic frameworks as a nanoreactor for improved degradation of organic pollutants

Unraveling spongy Co3O4 mediated activation of peroxymonosulfate: Overlooked involvement of instantaneously produced high-valent-cobalt-oxo

Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation induced by tricobalt tetroxide spinel (Co₃O₄) has been confirmed as a typical Haber-Weiss reaction, while free radicals were once considered as the dominated reactive species in the previous studies. However, the catalytic mechanism of the spongy Co₃O₄ driven PMS activation was surprisingly found as a radical/nonradical mixed process rather than a pure radical process in the present work. The important role of sulfate radical (SO₄^-) was confirmed through the quenching experiments. Despite the inhibition of furfuryl alcohol (FFA) and 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) on degradation was generally accepted as the evidence to support the existence of ¹O₂ and O₂^-, additional experiments using methyl phenyl sulfoxide (PMSO) as the indicator indeed verified high-valent-cobalt-oxo rather than ¹O₂ and O₂^- dominated the very early reaction stage. Notably, instead of homogeneous Co³⁺, heterogeneous Co(IV) = O on catalyst surface was believed to be responsible for the oxidation of organics. Spongy Co₃O₄ not only possessed stronger catalytic ability than commercial Co₃O₄ (k_{[spongy Co3O4]} = 0.74 min^-1, k_[Co3O4] = 0.08 min^-1), but also owned preferable stability. The performance of catalytic system was barely affected by the solution pH under the near neutral condition. Besides, little suppression of the widely existing anions on the degradation indicated the potential application of spongy Co₃O₄/PMS system. This study provides a reliable oxidation technology for the removal of organic pollutants, and sheds new light on the cobalt oxide triggered PMS activation process.

Recent developments in MOF and MOF based composite as potential adsorbents for removal of aqueous environmental contaminants

With the growth of globalization which has been the primary cause of water pollution, it is utmost necessary for us living being to have access to clean water for the purpose of drinking, washing and various other useful applications. With the purpose of future security and to restore our ecological balance, it is essential to give much significance towards the removal of unwanted toxic contaminants from our water resources. In this regard adsorptive removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater with porous adsorbent is regarded as one of the most promising way for water decontamination process. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) comprising of uniformly arranged pores, abundant active sites and containing an easily tunable structure has aroused as a promising material for adsorbent to remove the unwanted contaminants from water sources. The adsorption of pollutants by the different MOFs surface are driven by various interactions including π-π, acid-base, electrostatic and H-bonding etc. On the other hand, the removal of various contaminants by MOFs is influenced by various factors including pH, temperature and initial concentration. In this review we will specifically discuss the adsorptive removal of different organic and inorganic pollutants present in our water systems with the use of MOFs as adsorbent along with the various factors and interaction mechanism manipulating the adsorption behaviour.

Space-Confined Surface Layer in Superstructured Ni-N-C Catalyst for Enhanced Catalytic Degradation of m-Cresol by PMS Activation

The broad application of peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-assisted oxidation by heterogeneous catalysts for contaminant removal suffers from the limitation of low PMS decomposition efficiency and consequent excessive electrolyte residues. In this work, we report that a micrometer-scale superstructured Ni-N-C catalyst Ni-NCNT/CB with a nanotube-array surface layer exhibits ultrahigh m-cresol removal efficiency with low PMS input and possesses ∼17-fold higher catalytic specific activity (reaction rate constant normalized to per Ni-N_x site) compared to the traditional Ni-SAC catalyst. Electron paramagnetic resonance results indicate that ¹O₂ is the dominant oxygen species, and Ni-NCNT/CB with a space-confined layer exhibits high ¹O₂ utilization for m-cresol degradation. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and a normalized k value of Ni-NCNT/CB confirm the spatial confinement effect on the catalyst surface, which is beneficial for regulating the mass transfer and exerting the high activity of active sites. This study gives a new application for spatial confinement, and the configuration of Ni-NCNT/CB may guide a rational catalyst design for AOP wastewater treatment.

A simple and green method to prepare non-typical yolk/shell nanoreactor with dual-shells and multiple-cores: Enhanced catalytic activity and stability in Fenton-like reaction

Nowadays, non-typical yolk/shell structure has drawn much attentions due to the better catalytic performance than traditional counterparts (one yolk/one shell). In this study, ZIF-67 @Co₂SiO₄/SiO₂ yolk/shell structure was prepared in one-step at room temperature, in which ZIF-67 was served as the hard-template, H₂O was served as etchant and tetraethyl orthosilicat was served as the raw material for Co₂SiO₄/SiO₂. After calcination, the non-typical Co_xO_y @Co₂SiO₄/SiO₂ yolk/shell nanoreactor with Co₂SiO₄/SiO₂ dual-shells and Co_xO_y multiple-cores was obtained. On the one hand, more active sites were exposed on multiple-cores surface and better protection were provided by dual-shells. On the other hand, the sheet-like Co₂SiO₄ inner shell not only extended the travel path and retention time of pollutants trapped in cavity, but also separated the multiple-cores from aggregation. Therefore, the nanoreactor displayed the outstanding catalytic activity and recyclability in Fenton-like reaction. Metronidazole (20 mg/L) was completely degraded after 30 min, rhodamine B (50 mg/L) and methyl orange (20 mg/L) were removed even within 5.0 min. Catalytic mechanism indicated that ¹O₂ greatly contributed to the pollutant degradation. This paper presented a simple, versatile, green and energy-saving method for non-typical yolk/shell nanoreactor, and it could inspire to prepare other catalysts with high activity and stability for environmental remediation.

Strategies for improving the catalytic activity of metal-organic frameworks and derivatives in SR-AOPs: Facing emerging environmental pollutants

As persulfate activator, Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and derivatives are widely concerned in degradation of emerging environmental pollutants by advanced oxygen technology dominated by sulfate radical () (SR-AOPs). However, the poor stability and low catalytic efficiency limit the performance of MOFs, requiring multiple strategies to further enhance their catalytic activity. The aim of this paper is to improve the catalytic activity of MOFs and their derivatives by physical and chemical enhancement strategies. Physical enhancement strategies mainly refer to the activation strategies including thermal activation, microwave activation and photoactivation. However, the physical enhancement strategies need energy consumption and require high stability of MOFs. As a substitute, chemical enhancement strategies are more widely used and represented by optimization, modification, composites and derivatives. In addition, the identification of reactive oxygen species, active site and electron distribution are important for distinguishing radical and non-radical pathways. Finally, as a new wastewater treatment technology exploration of unknown areas in SR-AOPs could better promote the technology development.

Fe/Co redox and surficial hydroxyl potentiation in the FeCo2O4 enhanced Co3O4/persulfate process for TC degradation

A magnetic FeCo₂O₄/Co₃O₄ nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method as an efficient activator for persulfate (PS) activation to degrade tetracycline (TC) in an aqueous solution. TC removal and mineralization efficiencies reached up to 91.63% and 43.57% in 120 min in the FCC-3/PS system, respectively. The mixed-valence of Fe/Co in the nanocomposite catalyst was beneficial for electrons transfer between Co and Fe elements and enhanced the redox circulation of Fe and Co in between divalent and trivalent. Surficial analysis and phosphate adsorption test confirmed the existence of -OH groups on the surfaces of FeCo₂O₄/Co₃O₄ nanocomposite. Fe/Co redox and surficial hydroxyl in the catalyst played significant roles in the TC potentiation degradation, which was contributed by the plenty of adsorbed -OH groups and excellent dispersity of FeCo₂O₄ in the FeCo₂O₄/Co₃O₄ composite. The sulfate radicals were major species followed by the hydroxyl radicals, and the surficial adsorbed hydroxyl made great contributions to radical generation. The cycling test and intermediate toxicity analysis indicated that the nanocomposite was considered stable and practicable in water treatment. This work demonstrated that the FeCo₂O₄/Co₃O₄ nanocomposite was an effective and environ-friendly catalyst towards PS activation for removing organic pollutants from water.

Peroxymonosulfate activation by oxygen vacancies-enriched MXene nano-Co3O4 co-catalyst for efficient degradation of refractory organic matter: Efficiency, mechanism, and stability

Cobalt-based catalysts have been widely explored in the degradation of organic pollutants based on peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Herein, we report an MXene nano-Co₃O₄ co-catalyst enriched with oxygen vacancies (O_v) and steadily fixed in nickel foam (NF) plates, which is used as an efficient and stable PMS activator for the removal of 1,4-dioxane (1,4-D). Ti originating from MXene was doped into the Co₃O₄ crystal, generating large amounts of O_v, which could provide more active sites to enhance PMS activation and facilitate the transformation of Co²⁺ and Co³⁺, causing a high stability. As a result, the 1,4-D removal efficiency of the NF/MXene-Co₃O₄/PMS system (k_app: 2.41 min^-1) was about four times higher than that of the NF/Co₃O₄/PMS system (k_app: 0.62 min^-1). In addition, singlet oxygen was the predominant reactive oxygen species. Notably, the 1,4-D removal of the NF/MXene-Co₃O₄/PMS system was over 95% after 20 h operation in the single-pass filtration mode with only 3.72% accumulative Co leaching, showing excellent stability and reusability of NF/MXene-Co₃O₄. This work provides a defect engineering strategy to design a robust and stable catalytic system for water treatment, which expands the application of MXene in the field of environmental remediation.

Metal-organic frameworks as a good platform for the fabrication of multi-metal nanomaterials: design strategies, electrocatalytic applications and prospective

MOF-derived multi-metal nanomaterials are attracting numerous attentions in widespread applications such as catalysis, sensors, energy storage and conversion, and environmental remediation. Compared to the monometallic counterparts, the presence of foreign metal is expected to bring new physicochemical properties, thus exhibiting synergistic effect for enhanced performance. MOFs have been proved as a good platform for the fabrication of polymetallic nanomaterials with requisite features. Herein, various design strategies related to constructing multi-metallic nanomaterials from MOFs are summarized for the first time, involving metal nodal substitution, seed epitaxial growth, ion-exchange strategy, guest species encapsulation, solution impregnation and combination with extraneous substrate. Afterwards, the recent advances of multi-metallic nanomaterials for electrocatalytic applications, including oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), are systematically discussed. Finally, a personal outlook on the future trends and challenges are also presented with hope to enlighten deeper understanding and new thoughts for the development of multi-metal nanomaterials from MOFs.

Simultaneous nanocatalytic surface activation of pollutants and oxidants for highly efficient water decontamination

Removal of organic micropollutants from water through advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is hampered by the excessive input of energy and/or chemicals as well as the large amounts of residuals resulting from incomplete mineralization. Herein, we report a new water purification paradigm, the direct oxidative transfer process (DOTP), which enables complete, highly efficient decontamination at very low dosage of oxidants. DOTP differs fundamentally from AOPs and adsorption in its pollutant removal behavior and mechanisms. In DOTP, the nanocatalyst can interact with persulfate to activate the pollutants by lowering their reductive potential energy, which triggers a non-decomposing oxidative transfer of pollutants from the bulk solution to the nanocatalyst surface. By leveraging the activation, stabilization, and accumulation functions of the heterogeneous catalyst, the DOTP can occur spontaneously on the nanocatalyst surface to enable complete removal of pollutants. The process is found to occur for diverse pollutants, oxidants, and nanocatalysts, including various low-cost catalysts. Significantly, DOTP requires no external energy input, has low oxidant consumption, produces no residual byproducts, and performs robustly in real environmental matrices. These favorable features render DOTP an extremely promising nanotechnology platform for water purification.

Removal of organic micropollutants from water through advanced oxidation processes is hampered by the excessive input of energy and/or chemicals as well as the large amounts of residuals resulting from incomplete mineralization. Here the authors present a new alternative water purification technology to adsorption and advanced oxidation.

Three-dimensional flower-like magnetic CoFe-LDHs/CoFe2O4 composites activating peroxymonosulfate for high efficient degradation of aniline

In this study, 3D flower-like magnetic CoFe-LDHs/CoFe₂O₄ was prepared by a facile urea hydrothermal method and utilized to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for degrading aniline (AN). CoFe-LDHs/CoFe₂O₄ was systematically characterized to explore the relationship between its structure and catalytic performance. Compared with CoFe-LDHs synthesized by co-precipitation method, CoFe-LDHs/CoFe₂O₄ exhibited three dimensional structure and larger specific surface, which could increase the degradation efficiency of AN markedly. 96% of 10 mg L^-1 AN could be eliminated by 0.3 mM PMS and 50 mg L^-1 CoFe-LDHs/CoFe₂O₄ at initial pH 6 within 5 min and the total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency could be high to 52.8% in 30 min. CoFe-LDHs/CoFe₂O₄ can be separated by a magnet easily due to its magnetism, which makes it avoid secondary pollution and provide convenience. After recycling six times, the degradation efficiency still maintained at 92.6%. Besides, CoFe-LDHs/CoFe₂O₄/PMS can degrade AN in practical water samples effectively. In addition, the possible mechanism of CoFe-LDHs/CoFe₂O₄/PMS system for the degradation of AN was proposed. The radical scavenging experiments confirmed that SO₄·^-, HO· and O₂·^- were involved and SO₄·^- played a dominant role in the degradation of AN, and it was further proved by electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) as well. Our findings can provide some new insights into the efficient and skillful design and application of heterogeneous catalyst for environmental remediation.

Derivatives of metal-organic frameworks for heterogeneous Fenton-like processes: From preparation to performance and mechanisms in wastewater purification - A mini review

Organic pollution is an ever-growing issue in aquatic environment, Fenton-like processes have gained widespread acceptance due to their high oxidative potential and environmental compatibility. Derivatives of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts, which have advantages of large surface area, diversity of structures, and abundant active sites. This work focuses on the recent advances in MOFs derivatives including metal compounds and metal incorporated carbons for Fenton-like processes. First, preparation strategies, structures and compositions are introduced. And then, the removal of organic pollutant in Fenton, electro-Fenton, and photo-Fenton process catalyzed by MOFs derivative is summarized, respectively. The contents particularly devote efforts to build connections among preparation, structures, compositions, and performance. Furthermore, the mechanisms of improving performance are discussed in detail. Finally, the perspectives of MOFs derivatives toward Fenton-like applications are proposed.

Hollow multi-shelled Co3O4 as nanoreactors to activate peroxymonosulfate for highly effective degradation of Carbamazepine: A novel strategy to reduce nano-catalyst agglomeration

Reducing the agglomeration of nano-catalysts to retain the active catalytic sites is crucial for the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) of peroxymonosulfate activation in wastewater treatments. Herein, Co₃O₄ hollow multi-shelled structures (HoMSs) were successfully prepared as the nanoreactors to reduce the agglomeration of nano-catalysts in catalytic reaction. Compared with single-shelled and double-shelled Co₃O₄ HoMSs, triple-shelled Co₃O₄ HoMSs (TS-Co₃O₄) exhibited best catalytic performance and the carbamazepine (5 mg L^-1) degradation reached 100% within 30 min. The hollow multi-shelled structures showed a significant role in reducing the agglomeration of catalysts. The value of hydrodynamic diameter/true particle size of TS-Co₃O₄ was 1.58, which meant TS-Co₃O₄ could be regarded as a single dispersion or two together in aqueous solution. The shells of TS-Co₃O₄ supported each other and outer shells could protect the inner ones, hence the stability increased. Besides, the hollow cavity between shells reduced the mass diffusion resistance and increased the contact of reactants with active sites. Mechanism studies showed sulfate radicals (SO₄^•-) played a leading role in the degradation of carbamazepine. This work provided an effective way to reduce the agglomeration and retain the active sites of cobalt-based catalysts in AOPs, so as to balance the conflict between the reactivity and stability of nano-catalysts.

Cobalt-ferrite/Ag-fMWCNT hybrid nanocomposite catalyst for efficient degradation of synthetic organic dyes via peroxymonosulfate activation

The activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) by nanocatalysts has shown promise as an effective wastewater treatment protocol. Magnetic CoFe₂O₄/Ag-nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (fMWCNTs), a support material, were synthesized using a one-pot solvothermal method. The surface morphologies and physicochemical properties of the CoFe₂O₄/Ag-fMWCNT hybrid nanocomposite catalyst were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The activity of the nanocomposite combined with PMS (serving as an activator) toward the degradation of rhodamine B, methylene blue, methyl orange, and methyl red was investigated. The obtained optimal 0.02 g CoFe₂O₄/Ag-fMWCNTs exhibited the highest PMS activation performance, with a removal percentage of 100% for 20 ppm dye concentration at pH 6.5 within 14 min. In addition, the rhodamine B degradation product was investigated by analyzing the intermediate products by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The homogeneous distribution of CoFe₂O₄/Ag NPs on fMWCNTs accelerated PMS activation and enhanced the catalytic degradation of dyes. The effects of the reaction parameters on the dye degradation efficiency were investigated by using different nanocatalysts (fMWCNTs, CoFe₂O₄/fMWCNTs, and CoFe₂O₄/Ag-fMWCNTs) as well as by varying the pH (3-11), dye concentration (10-50 mg/l), catalyst dose (0.002-0.3 g), and PMS dose (0.02-0.1 g). Quenching experiments revealed that sulfate radicals are primarily responsible for rhodamine B degradation. A plausible mechanism for catalytic PMS activation was also proposed. Complete decolorization occurred within the first few minutes of the reaction. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of the CoFe₂O₄/Ag-fMWCNT/PMS hybrid nanocomposite remained stable after five successive cycles. This study verifies the applicability of CoFe₂O₄/Ag-fMWCNTs as an ultrafast catalyst for the complete removal of persistent organic pollutants via PMS activation, revealing their promising application in wastewater treatment.

Synergistic adsorption and advanced oxidation activated by persulfate for degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride using iron-modified spent bleaching earth carbon

At present, tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) is a widely used antibiotic, and is often detected in water, posing a serious harm to human and ecological health. In this study, spent bleaching earth (SBE) was pyrolyzed to obtain spent bleaching earth carbon (SBE@C) and the nano Fe⁰/SBE@C prepared after zero-valent iron loading was adopted to remove TCH in water for the first time. The combination of nano Fe⁰/SBE@C and PS, the strong adsorption of SBE@C coupled with the oxidation of free radicals could achieve TCH efficient removal. The effects of nano Fe⁰ load, nano Fe⁰/SBE@C dosage, solution initial pH, and PS/TCH molar ratio on TCH removal efficiency in nano Fe⁰/SBE@C + PS system were studied. The results indicate that the optimal reaction conditions are 5% nano Fe⁰ load, 0.2 g/L nano Fe⁰/SBE@C dosage, initial pH of 3, PS/TCH molar ratio of 100:1. Under these conditions, TCH removal efficiency could reach 91%. Meanwhile, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to predict optimal value of reaction conditions. The removal efficiency corresponding to the predicted optimal conditions was consistent with the actual removal efficiency obtained from the experiment. Moreover, six reaction systems were tested, and TCH removal efficiency in the SBE@C + PS system was 22.6%. When nano Fe⁰ was loaded on SBE@C, TCH removal efficiency in Fe⁰/SBE@C + PS system increased to 78.2%, in which TCH was first adsorbed on the surface of nano Fe⁰/SBE@C, and then was degraded by the oxidation of SO₄^•- and •OH. Totally, the nano Fe⁰/SBE@C + PS system displayed excellent TCH removal efficiency, good stability and reusability, exhibiting a promise toward TCH removal.

Facile preparation of nanocellulose/Zn-MOF-based catalytic filter for water purification by oxidation process

Sulfate radical (SO₄^•-)-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) have recently attracted much attention due to their potential in degrading organic pollutants. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been reported as effective materials to generate SO₄^•-. However, it is challenging to separate and recover the dispersed MOF particles from the reaction solution when MOFs are used alone. We used cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as a porous filter template to immobilize Zn-based MOF, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), and obtained a catalytic composite membrane having peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activating function to produce SO₄^•-. The CNF was effective in holding ZIF-8 nanoparticle and making a durable porous filter. The activated PMS-produced ^•OH and SO₄^•- radicals from ZIF-8 play an important role in the catalytic reaction. More than 90% of methylene blue and rhodamine B was degraded by ZIF-8/CNFs composite membrane in the PMS environment within 60 min. The ZIF-8/CNFs catalytic filters can be used several times without performance reduction for organic dye degradation. The results show that ZIF-8/CNFs catalytic membrane can be separated from organic pollution system quickly and used for the efficient separation and recovery of MOF particle-based catalytic materials. Therefore, this study provides a new perspective for fabricating the MOFs particles-immobilized catalytic filter by biomass nanocellulose-based materials for water purification. This method can be used for facile fabrication of the cellulose-based porous functional filter and open diverse applications.

Efficient purification of tetracycline wastewater by activated persulfate with heterogeneous Co-V bimetallic oxides

The persistence and wide dispersion of antibiotics have a severe impact on the ecological environment. Developing an effective method with universal applicability to remove pollutants is pretty necessary. Herein, a bimetallic oxides (Co₃V₂O₈) heterogeneous material was successfully prepared and used to activate the persulfate (PS) for purification of tetracycline (TC) wastewater. By exploring the reaction conditions and influencing factors, the removal rate of 50 mg⋅L^-1 TC reached 87.1% by Co₃V₂O₈/PS system, and the reaction rate constant was up to 0.0271 min^-1. As a highly efficient catalyst for the activation of PS, Co₃V₂O₈/PS system produces radicals of SO₄^•-, •OH, •O₂^- and ¹O₂ in the reaction process due to the Co(II) and V(IV) exchange electrons with S₂O₈^2- and O₂. Simultaneously, the internal electron exchange occurs between Co(II)/Co(III) and V(IV)/V(V), which stabilizes the content of Co(II) and V(IV). This work provides a novel activator for PS activation to degrade contaminants and contributes to a better understanding of the PS activation mechanism by transition compound.

Enhancement strategies for efficient activation of persulfate by heterogeneous cobalt-containing catalysts: A review

As a clean and efficient technology for the degradation of organic contaminants, sulfate radical based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) have attracted more and more attention in the past decades. Cobalt is regarded as the most reactive and efficient non-noble metal catalyst for the activation of persulfate including peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and peroxydisulfate (PDS) to produce sulfate radicals. Due to the limitations of homogeneous catalytic systems, the heterogeneous cobalt-containing catalysts have been emerged and rapidly developed. Various strategies have been schemed to further enhance the activation ability of persulfate by heterogeneous cobalt-containing catalysts. This paper provides an overview on the recent progress in enhancement strategies for the highly efficient activation of persulfate by heterogeneous cobalt-containing catalysts. With a brief introduction on the chemistry and feature of sulfate radical reactions catalyzed by homogeneous Co²⁺/Co³⁺ species, the main strategies for enhancing persulfate activation by heterogeneous cobalt-containing catalysts are summarized, such as surface and morphology design, multiple reactive centers design, organic-inorganic hybrids and heterostructure composites. Future perspectives of heterogeneous SR-AOPs systems catalyzed by cobalt-containing catalysts are outlined.

Ultrafast degradation of contaminants in a trace cobalt(II) activated peroxymonosulfate process triggered through borate: Indispensable role of intermediate complex

Among all homogeneous catalysts, cobalt ions show the highest catalytic performance for the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Herein, we report a Co²⁺/PMS/H₃BO₃ system that can effectively generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) with ultra-low Co²⁺ dosage (5 μg/L). Co²⁺/PMS/H₃BO₃ system showed ultrafast reactivity and wide applicability for various pollutants. Sulfamethoxazole (SMX, 2 mg/L) could be completely removed within 5 min, and the corresponding k_obs reached up to 1.1239 min^-1. The introduction of H₃BO₃ significantly promoted the generation of ROS. The turnover frequency (TOF) calculated through dividing k_obs by the cobalt ions concentration is as high as 224.78 min^-1, which is much higher than most of the current research. Through a series of theoretical and experimental analyses, the complex of H₂BO₃^--MS (HSO₅B(OH)₃^-) was inferred to be the key substance that led to the excellent performance of the system. This work provides new insights into the Co²⁺/PMS system in the presence of borate buffer.

Mesoporous ferrihydrite-supported Pd nanoparticles for enhanced catalytic dehalogenation of chlorinated environmental pollutant

Organic chlorides are a group of ubiquitous environmental pollutants that have attracted wide attention because of their carcinogenetic effect on human. Catalytic hydrodechlorination represents one of the most promising methods for the removal of these contaminants, but it suffers from drawbacks such as catalytic inefficiency and/or instability, and the danger of using H₂ as hydrogen source. The relationship between the catalyst structure and its dehalogenation activity has not been completely understood. By combining the advantages of Pd nanocatalyst and mesoporous ferrihydrite (Fh) with its distinctive structure, here we present a new composite material with Pd nanoparticles (NPs) supported onto the Fh (Pd/Fh), which has excellent catalytic dehalogenation performance with a rapid, complete dechlorination of chlorophenol (turnover frequency 25.2 min^-1) and the ability to perform well over a wide range of pH and temperature. The superior catalytic property of Pd/Fh can be attributed to the three unique functions of Fh, including: 1) having abundant hydroxyl groups that provide interaction sites with metals for incorporating highly dispersed small Pd NPs; 2) facilitating the fast adsorption of chlorophenol onto the catalyst surface via hydrogen bonding and importantly, 3) working as an electron mediator to greatly enhance the electron transfer from iron or chemicals (e.g., NaBH₄) to the catalyst, thereby achieving a synergistic effect between Pd catalyst and support, and an enhanced dechlorination activity. In essence, this work presents a promising catalyst for the efficient dehalogenation of chlorinated environmental pollutants and provides an insight into the relationship between catalyst structure and dehalogenation activity.

MOF-enabled confinement and related effects for chemical catalyst presentation and utilization

A defining characteristic of nearly all catalytically functional MOFs is uniform, molecular-scale porosity. MOF pores, linkers and nodes that define them, help regulate reactant and product transport, catalyst siting, catalyst accessibility, catalyst stability, catalyst activity, co-catalyst proximity, composition of the chemical environment at and beyond the catalytic active site, chemical intermediate and transition-state conformations, thermodynamic affinity of molecular guests for MOF interior sites, framework charge and density of charge-compensating ions, pore hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity, pore and channel rigidity vs. flexibility, and other features and properties. Collectively and individually, these properties help define overall catalyst functional behaviour. This review focuses on how porous, catalyst-containing MOFs capitalize on molecular-scale confinement, containment, isolation, environment modulation, energy delivery, and mobility to accomplish desired chemical transformations with potentially superior selectivity or other efficacy, especially in comparison to catalysts in homogeneous solution environments.

A novel CoNi7O8/MnO2 nanocomposite supported on Ni foam as a peroxymonosulfate activator for the highly efficient singlet oxygen mediated removal of methylene blue

Novel CoNi7O8/MnO2 supported on Ni foam presented excellent catalytic activity toward PMS activation, with 100% MB removal achieved within 15 min.

Activation of Na2S2O8 by α-Fe2O3/CuS composite oxides for the degradation of Orange II under visible light irradiation

Layered α-Fe2O3/CuS nanoflowers with abundant active sites were synthesized by a hydrothermal method.

A micron-sized Co-MOF sheet to activate peroxymonosulfate for efficient organic pollutant degradation

A Co-MOF with a 2D morphology (BUC-92) was prepared, which exhibited outstanding rhodamine B (RhB) degradation performance via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation.

Ru Nanoparticle Functionalized Silica Nanotubes as a Catalyst for CO2 Hydrogenation Reaction

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The catalytic display of supported heterogeneous catalysts is essentially reliant on their constitutive elements, including active species and supports. Accordingly, the scheme and development of active catalysts with synergistically enhanced outcomes between active sites and supports are of high importance. A simple NaBH4 reduction method was used to synthesize cylindrical amine-functionalized silica nanotubes supported Ru catalyst (ASNT@Ru catalyst), including amine functionality. The physicochemical properties of the material were analyzed by various analytical methods such as SEM-TEM analysis, N2 physisorption, ICP-OES, XPS, etc., and all the data were found in good agreement with each other. Amine-free SNT support using the calcination process was also synthesized to examine the effect of amine in ASNT support on the uniform Ru dispersion. Taking advantage of the fundamental physical and chemical properties of ASNT support and well-distributed Ru NPs, the ASNT@Ru catalyst was utilized for CO2 hydrogenation reaction, which gave excellent catalytic activity/ stability in terms of a good quantity of the formic. Catalysts recycling was recorded five times, and formic acid was obtained in good quantity.

Metallic nickel nanoparticles supported polyaniline nanotubes as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for the degradation of brilliant green dye in aqueous solution

Metallic nanoparticles supported on porous matrices are promising heterogeneous catalysts for Fenton-like reaction towards the degradation of organic contaminants in water. Herein, novel magnetic nanocomposites (NCs) of metallic nickel (Ni⁰) nanoparticles and nanotubular polyaniline matrix (PANI/Ni⁰ NCs) were fabricated by simple reductive formation of Ni⁰ nanoparticles upon the pre-synthesized PANI nanotubes (NTs) surface and applied as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst in degrading cationic brilliant green dye (BG) in aqueous solution. Various physico-chemical characterization techniques revealed effective supporting of soft ferromagnetic well dispersed nano-dimensional Ni⁰ particles onto the PANI NTs matrix. Heterogeneous Fenton-like catalytic performance of PANI/Ni⁰ NCs for BG degradation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) oxidant demonstrated their superiority when compared with unsupported Ni⁰ nanoparticles counterpart. Experiments with a minimum 0.1 g/L of NCs and 10 mM of H₂O₂ displayed complete degradation of 100 mg/L BG within 120 min reaction time. Improved BG degradation was observed with increase in the dose of PANI/Ni⁰, H₂O₂ concentration and temperature, whereas it reduced with rise in initial concentration of BG. The rate of degradation was well described by the pseudo-first- order kinetic model. Six consecutive BG degradation experiments confirmed NCs reusability without loss of original (∼100%) degradation efficiency up to the fifth cycle. Finally, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric (LC-MS) analyses of the BG samples after 120 min degradation time exposed the formation of N,N-diethylaniline as degradation product along with partial mineralization of the other end products via the attack of reactive hydroxyl radicals (HO^•) produced in the catalytic system.

Insights into enhanced peroxydisulfate activation with S doped Fe@C catalyst for the rapid degradation of organic pollutants

In this study, the S modified iron-based catalyst (S-Fe@C) for activating peroxydisulfate (PDS) was fabricated by heating the S-MIL-101 (Fe) precursor at 800 °C. The resulted S-Fe@C composite mainly consisted of carbon, Fe⁰, FeS, FeS₂, and Fe₃O₄, and showed strong magnetism. Compared with Fe@C obtained from MIL-101 (Fe), the S-Fe@C exhibited much higher performance (1.5 times larger) on PDS activation and the S-Fe@C/PDS could rapidly degrade various organic pollutants in 5 min under the attack of the species of SO₄^-·, ¹O₂, electro-transfer and Fe(IV). The S element in enhancing the PDS activation mainly involved two mechanisms. Firstly, the doped S could speed up the electron transfer efficiency, resulting in a promotion on PDS decomposition; secondly, the S^2- S₂^2- or S⁰ could achieve the circulation of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺, leading to the formation of non-radicals Fe(IV) and ¹O₂.

Iron-based metal-organic framework: Synthesis, structure and current technologies for water reclamation with deep insight into framework integrity

Water is a supreme requirement for the existence of life, the contamination from the point and non-point sources are creating a great threat to the water ecosystem. Advance tools and techniques are required to restore the water quality and metal-organic framework (MOFs) with a tunable porous structure, striking physical and chemical properties are an excellent candidate for it. Fe-based MOFs, which developed rapidly in recent years, are foreseen as most promising to overcome the disadvantages of traditional water depolluting practices. Fe-MOFs with low toxicity and preferable stability possess excellent performance potential for almost all water remedying techniques in contrast to other MOF structures, especially visible light photocatalysis, Fenton, and Fenton-like heterogeneous catalysis. Fe-MOFs become essential tool for water treatment due to their high catalytic activity, abundant active site and pollutant-specific adsorption. However, the structural degradation under external chemical, photolytic, mechanical, and thermal stimuli is impeding Fe-MOFs from further improvement in activity and their commercialization. Understanding the shortcomings of structural integrity is crucial for large-scale synthesis and commercial implementation of Fe-MOFs-based water treatment techniques. Herein we summarize the synthesis, structure and recent advancements in water remediation methods using Fe-MOFs in particular more attention is paid for adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis and photocatalysis with clear insight into the mechanisms involved. For ease of analysis, the pollutants have been classified into two major classes; inorganic pollutants and organic pollutants. In this review, we present for the first time a detailed insight into the challenges in employing Fe-MOFs for water remediation due to structural instability.

Reversing sintering effect of Ni particles on γ-Mo2N via strong metal support interaction

Reversing the thermal induced sintering phenomenon and forming high temperature stable fine dispersed metallic centers with unique structural and electronic properties is one of the ever-lasting targets of heterogeneous catalysis. Here we report that the dispersion of metallic Ni particles into under-coordinated two-dimensional Ni clusters over γ-Mo2N is a thermodynamically favorable process based on the AIMD simulation. A Ni-4nm/γ-Mo2N model catalyst is synthesized and used to further study the reverse sintering effect by the combination of multiple in-situ characterization methods, including in-situ quick XANES and EXAFS, ambient pressure XPS and environmental SE/STEM etc. The under-coordinated two-dimensional layered Ni clusters on molybdenum nitride support generated from the Ni-4nm/γ-Mo2N has been demonstrated to be a thermally stable catalyst in 50 h stability test in CO2 hydrogenation, and exhibits a remarkable catalytic selectivity reverse compared with traditional Ni particles-based catalyst, leading to a chemo-specific CO2 hydrogenation to CO.

Enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation by hierarchical porous Fe3O4/Co3S4 nanosheets for efficient elimination of rhodamine B: Mechanisms, degradation pathways and toxicological analysis

Fenton-like catalysts have usually superior catalytic activities, however, some drawbacks of ion leaching and difficult-to-recovery limit their applications. In this work, a hierarchical porous Fe₃O₄/Co₃S₄ catalyst was fabricated via a simple phase change reaction to overcome these shortcomings. The introduced iron cooperates with cobalt achieving high-efficiency activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to eliminate Rhodamine B (RhB). The results showed that 0.05 g/L Fe₃O₄/Co₃S₄ and 1 mM PMS could quickly remove 100% of 200 mg/L RhB within 20 min, and the removal rate of RhB remained above 82% after 5 cycles. Moreover, the as-prepared Fe₃O₄/Co₃S₄ possessed a great magnetic separation capacity and good stability of low metal leaching dose. Radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques proved that sulfate radicals (SO₄^•-) were the dominant reactive oxygen species responding for RhB degradation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) pointed out that the synergism of sulfur promoted the cycling of Co³⁺/Co²⁺ and Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺, boosting the electron transfer between Fe₃O₄/Co₃S₄ and PMS. Moreover, the degradation pathways of RhB were deduced by combining liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The toxicities of RhB and its intermediates were evaluated as well, which provided significant assistance in the exploration of their ecological risks.

Encapsulating Mn3O4 Nanorods in a Shell of SiO2 Nanobubbles for Confined Fenton-Type Catalysis

Core-shell structured nanomaterials with delicate architectures have attracted considerable attention for realizing multifunctional responses and harnessing multiple interfaces for enhanced functionalities. Here, we report a controllable synthesis of core-shell structured Mn₃O₄@SiO₂NB nanomaterials consisting of Mn₃O₄ nanorods covered with a shell of SiO₂ nanobubbles. A series of Mn₃O₄@SiO₂NB catalysts with tunable secondary structures can be synthesized by simply tuning the feeding ratio and the modification conditions. The as-synthesized Mn₃O₄@SiO₂NB catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic performance in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) because the Fenton-type reaction between Mn₃O₄ and H₂O₂ is confined in an MB-rich environment created by the SiO₂ nanobubble shell. The confined Fenton-type catalysis maximizes the contact of MB molecules with the reactive oxygen species and significantly promotes the degradation efficiency of MB. Under optimal conditions, Mn₃O₄@SiO₂NB-0.4 can reach a degradation efficiency of 92% at room temperature and neutral pH within 12 min, which outperforms most reported Mn-based catalysts.

Photocatalytic Activity of Supported Metal Nanoparticles and Single Atoms

Photocatalysis has been known as one of the promising technologies due to its eco-friendly nature. However, the potential application of many photocatalysts is limited owing to their large bandgaps and inefficient use of the solar spectrum. One strategy to overcome this problem is to combine the advantages of heteroatom-containing supports with active metal centers to accurately adjust the structural parameters. Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) and single atom catalysts (SACs) are excellent candidates due to their distinctive coordination environment which enhances photocatalytic activity. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and carbon nitride (g-C₃ N₄ ) have shown great potential as catalyst support for SACs and MNPs. The numerous combinations of organic linkers with various heteroatoms and metal ions provide unique structural characteristics to achieve advanced materials. This review describes the recent advancement of the modified MOFs, COFs and g-C₃ N₄ with SACs and NPs for enhanced photocatalytic applications with emphasis on environmental remediation.

Fe@C activated peroxymonosulfate system for effectively degrading emerging contaminants: Analysis of the formation and activation mechanism of Fe coordinately unsaturated metal sites

Carbon-encapsulated Fe nanocomposites (Fe@C), obtained by pyrolysis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), can activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to remove emerging contaminants (ECs). Unfortunately, the current MOFs-derived catalysts always inevitably produce more iron-oxide compounds that unfavorable for PMS activation. In this work, according to the thermogravimetric curve of Fe(II)-MOF-74, to discuss the role of pyrolysis temperature on the structural characteristics of Fe@C. The results demonstrated that Fe@C-4 could obtain abundant coordinately unsaturated metal sites and exhibited the best activation performance. Radical-quenching experiments and EPR measurements confirm that the generated sulfate radical (SO₄^-˙) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) only degraded approximately 35% of TBBPA. Meanwhile, negatively charged complex intermediates formed by the weak interaction between Fe@C-4 and PMS was proposed as the dominant reactive species, and approximately 65% of TBBPA was degraded. This work optimizes the synthesis strategy and mechanism of Fe@C and provides a methodological reference for the design of Fe-based catalysts.

Degradation of ciprofloxacin using hematite/MOF nanocomposite as a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst: A comparison of composite and core-shell structures

A novel strategy was described to fabricate hematite-MOF materials with morphologies (core-shell) and (composite) as an efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for degrading ciprofloxacin (CIP) antibiotics. First, α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) with a size distribution range of 80 nm were prepared by surfactant-assisted reflux method. Then, cobalt-based metal-organic framework (ZIF-67) was grown onto the α-Fe₂O₃ NPs with ultrasonic and solvothermal method, which can control the nanostructures morphology. The physicochemical properties of these nanostructures were probed by ATR-IR, WA-XRD, FESEM, VSM, TEM, and EDS spectroscopy. The results showed that all the added CIP (20 ppm) antibiotics were completely degraded in 30 min in the α-Fe₂O₃/ZIF-67 (0.10 g/L) and PMS (0.20 g/L) system with rate constant of 0.130 min^-1. To validate the merits of the α-Fe₂O₃/ZIF-67, α-Fe₂O₃@ZIF-67 core-shell nanostructures were also applied under similar conditions. The findings demonstrated that Co/Fe species within α-Fe₂O₃/ZIF-67 composite catalyzed PMS synergistically to the formation of the OH and SO₄^- and ¹O₂ for CIP degradation. Furthermore, α-Fe₂O₃/ZIF-67 showed good recyclability enabling facile separation of the catalyst from reaction mixtures using an external magnet. The current protocol can be a useful criterion in designing various Magnetic-MOF composites with controlled morphologies for environmental remediation.