Efficient persulfate non-radical activation of electron-rich copper active sites induced by oxygen on graphitic carbon nitride

Peroxymonosulfaie (PMS) non-radical reactions possess high catalytic activity for specific pollutants under complex water environmenis. However, the synthesis of high-performance catalysts and the discussion of non-radical reaction mechanisms are still unsatisfactory. Here, a novel and efficient non-radical catalyst (O-CuCN) was successfully assembled using the scheme of Copper (Cu) and oxygen (O) co-doping. The O element with great electronegativity induces graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to act as a medium to change the phase properties and electron density distribution of g-C3N4, and provides a support for the targeting of Cu. Cu is introduced into g-C3N4 as an active site in the phase structure, and an electron-rich center with the Cu site is formed, which forms a metastable intermediate after the adsorption of PMS by Cu as the active site. The new catalyst O-CuCN has outstanding activity in the PMS system, and its degradation rate for bisphenol A (BPA) is increased by more than 20 times compared to that of g-C3N4, and it has excellent environmental tolerance and stability. This work demonstrates that the formation of metastable intermediates and the initiation of effective non radical reactions can be achieved by constructing differentiated electron density structures. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study successfully synthesized a novel and efficient non-radical catalyst O-CuCN, which exhibited outstanding catalytic activity in the PMS system by changing the phase properties and electron density distribution of graphite carbon nitride. The degradation rate for BPA was significantly increased, and the catalyst showed excellent environmental tolerance and stability.