Dynamic oxygen vacancy engineering on CuO via refreshable catalytic surface for high-efficient water decontamination

Oxygen vacancies (Ov) on metal oxide surfaces exhibit high catalytic activity for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in wastewater decontamination, yet their in-situ regeneration remains a significant challenge. This study successfully achieves in-situ real-time regeneration of Ov on CuO surfaces through simple alkali etching without interrupting the contaminant removal process. The surface hydroxyl groups introduced by alkali treatment significantly reduce the formation energy of Ov on CuO surfaces from 1.60 eV to 0.38 eV. Both experimental results and density functional theory calculations reveal that the high activity of CuO relies on the synergy of surface hydroxyl groups and Ov. This synergy increases the…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 22308221, 22438001, 22206177
• CP
  China Postdoctoral Science Foundation

  Award: 2025M771279
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Award: 2021YFC3201505