Inside Cover: Mn−O Covalency Governs the Intrinsic Activity of Co‐Mn Spinel Oxides for Boosted Peroxymonosulfate Activation (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1/2021)

Bimetallic spinel oxides are efficient catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation but the catalytic mechanism is unclear. The critical role of Mn−O covalency in determining the intrinsic activity of Co3−xMnxO4 and a new mechanism of Co–Mn synergy are revealed by Wen-Wei Li and co-workers in their Research Article on page 274. Co strengthens Mn−O covalency in the octahedral configuration of Co3−xMnxO4, which lowers the charge transfer energy of the MnOh–PMS interaction and drastically accelerates MnVI/MnIII redox cycling.