Single-atom Mo–Co catalyst with low biotoxicity for sustainable degradation of high-ionization-potential organic pollutants

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are a promising area in environmental catalysis. We report on a bimetallic Co–Mo SAC that shows excellent performance in activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for sustainable degradation of organic pollutants with high ionization potential (IP > 8.5 eV). Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and experimental tests demonstrate that the Mo sites in Mo – Co SACs play a critical role in conducting electrons from organic pollutants to Co sites, leading to a 19.4-fold increase in the degradation rate of phenol compared to the CoCl 2 – PMS group. The bimetallic SACs exhibit excellent catalytic performance even under extreme conditions and show long-term activation in 10-d…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Award: 22176060