Hetero-Interface-Engineered Sulfur Vacancy and Oxygen Doping in Hollow Co9s8/Fe7s8 Nanospheres Towards Monopersulfate Activation for Boosting Intrinsic Electron Transfer in Paracetamol Degradation Publisher

Summary: A study found defect-rich bimetal sulfides speed up pollutant removal, aiding water purification. #WaterPurification #EnvironmentalTech

Khiem TC¹ ; Huy NN^{2, 3} ; Kwon E⁴ ; Duan X⁵ ; Waclawek S⁶ ; Bedia J⁷ ; Tsai YC¹ ; Ebrahimi A^{8, 9} ; Ghanbari F¹⁰ ; Lin KYA¹
Source: Applied Catalysis B: Environmental Published:2023

Abstract

Designing defects-rich hollow heterostructure bimetal sulfides is considered as an efficient strategy for accelerated monopersulfate (MPS) activation. Herein, mono-step sulfidation was employed to develop sulfur vacancy (SV)-rich hollow oxygen-doped Co9S8/Fe7S8 (O-CSFS). SV and oxygen doping-induced highly electroactive sites, low charge resistance, and increased conductivity of O-CSFS accounted for its superior performance. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-driven pathway and electron transfer (ET)-driven pathway were revealed to be responsible for PCM degradation in O-CSFS/MPS system, but the role of ET-driven pathway was more significant. The ROS-driven pathway was mainly attributed to electrons-rich low valance of Co atoms which activated MPS to generate different ROS without •OH contribution and with a greater role of SO4•− than 1O2. Doped O, S species, and surface-active O-CSFS/MPS complex in ET-driven pathway, meanwhile, acquired electrons from PCM, resulting in enhanced PCM oxidation. This study provided more insight into ET-enhanced efficient PCM degradation induced by SV and oxygen-doping. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.