Zhang Zhi-Quan, Duan Pi-Jun, Zheng Jie-Xuan, Xie Yun-Qiu, Bai Chang-Wei, Sun Yi-Jiao, Chen Xin-Jia, Chen Fei, Yu Han-Qing
Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China.
College of Chemistry, Soochow University, Soochow, 215006, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 2;16(1):115. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55622-y.
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been increasingly acknowledged for their performance in sustainable Fenton-like catalysis. However, SACs face a trade-off between activity and stability in peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based systems. Herein, we design a nano-island encapsulated single cobalt atom (Co-ZnO) catalyst to enhance the activity and stability of PMS activation for contaminant degradation via an "island-sea" synergistic effect. In this configuration, small carrier-based ZnO nanoparticles (the "islands") are utilized to confine and stabilize Co single atoms. The expansive ZnO substrate (the "sea") upholds a neutral microenvironment within the reaction system. The Co-ZnO/PMS system exhibits a remarkable selectivity in exclusively generating sulfate radicals (SO), leading to a complete removal of various recalcitrant pollutants within a shorter period. Characterized by minimal leaching of active sites, robust catalytic performance, and low-toxicity decontamination, this system proves highly efficient in multiple treatment cycles and complex water matrices. The design effectively breaks the activity-stability trade-off typically associated with SACs.
单原子催化剂（SACs）因其在可持续类芬顿催化中的性能而日益受到认可。然而，在基于过一硫酸盐（PMS）的体系中，SACs在活性和稳定性之间面临权衡。在此，我们设计了一种纳米岛封装的单钴原子（Co-ZnO）催化剂，通过“岛-海”协同效应增强PMS活化降解污染物的活性和稳定性。在这种结构中，基于小载体的ZnO纳米颗粒（“岛”）用于限制和稳定Co单原子。广阔的ZnO基底（“海”）在反应体系中维持中性微环境。Co-ZnO/PMS体系在仅生成硫酸根自由基（SO）方面表现出显著的选择性，从而在较短时间内完全去除各种难降解污染物。该体系以活性位点的最小浸出、强大的催化性能和低毒性去污为特征，在多个处理循环和复杂水基质中证明是高效的。该设计有效地打破了通常与SACs相关的活性-稳定性权衡。
