Ultrafast Water Purification by Template-Free Nanoconfined Catalysts Derived from Municipal Sludge.

Nanoconfinement at the interface of heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts offers promising avenues for advancing oxidation processes in water purification. Herein, we introduce a template-free strategy for synthesizing nanoconfined catalysts from municipal sludge (S-NCCs), specifically engineered to optimize reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and utilization for rapid pollutant degradation. Using selective hydrofluoric acid corrosion, we create an architecture that confines atomically dispersed Fe centers within a micro-mesoporous carbon matrix in situ.

Tuning electronic structure of metal-free dual-site catalyst enables exclusive singlet oxygen production and in-situ utilization.

Developing eco-friendly catalysts for effective water purification with minimal oxidant use is imperative. Herein, we present a metal-free and nitrogen/fluorine dual-site catalyst, enhancing the selectivity and utilization of singlet oxygen (O) for water decontamination. Advanced theoretical simulations reveal that synergistic fluorine-nitrogen interactions modulate electron distribution and polarization, creating asymmetric surface electron configurations and electron-deficient nitrogen vacancies.

Slow-release synthesis of Cu single-atom catalysts with the optimized geometric structure and density of state distribution for Fenton-like catalysis.

Single-atom Fenton-like catalysis has attracted significant attention, yet the quest for controllable synthesis of single-atom catalysts (SACs) with modulation of electron configuration is driven by the current disadvantages of poor activity, low selectivity, narrow pH range, and ambiguous structure-performance relationship. Herein, we devised an innovative strategy, the slow-release synthesis, to fabricate superior Cu SACs by facilitating the dynamic equilibrium between metal precursor supply and anchoring site formation. In this strategy, the dynamics of anchoring site formation, metal precursor release, and their binding reaction kinetics were regulated.

Reusing Sulfur-Poisoned Palladium Waste as a Highly Active, Nonradical Fenton-like Catalyst for Selective Degradation of Phenolic Pollutants.

Recycling of deactivated palladium (Pd)-based catalysts can not only lower the economic cost of their industrial use but also save the cost for waste disposal. Considering that the sulfur-poisoned Pd (PdS) with a strong Pd-S bond is difficult to regenerate, here, we propose a direct reuse of such waste materials as an efficient catalyst for decontamination via Fenton-like processes. Among the PdS materials with different poisoning degrees, PdS stood out as the most active catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation, exhibiting pollutant-degradation performance rivaling the Pd and Co benchmarks.