Single Fe atoms confined in two-dimensional MoS2 for sulfite activation: A biomimetic approach towards efficient radical generation

By Li-Zhi Huang, Xiuli Wei, Enlai Gao, Chunbo Zhang, Xin‐Ming Hu, Yiqun Chen, Zizheng Liu, N. Finck, J. Lützenkirchen, D. Dionysiou. 2020

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Abstract Sulfite has been recently recognized as a source of radicals for oxysulfur radical-based advanced oxidation process due to its low cost and low toxicity. Inspired by sulfite oxidase enzyme, we demonstrate single Fe atoms confined in two-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets (FexMo1-xS2) as highly reactive catalysts for heterogeneous activation of sulfite, thereby promoting efficient oxidative degradation of propranolol in water. Highest propranolol degradation efficiency of ∼90 % was observed at pH 4.0. The Fe or Mo sites of FexMo1-xS2 activate sulfite via the Fe2+/Fe3+ or Mo4+/Mo5+/Mo6+ redox cycle. More importantly, the synergistic catalysis involving the Fe and Mo sites play an essential role. SO5 − is the major radical responsible for propranolol degradation with the 2nd-order rate constant of (1.1 ± 0.6)×107 M−1 s−1. Furthermore, the FexMo1-xS2/sulfite system is capable of degrading a wide range of recalcitrant organic pollutants and operating in a real water environment, suggesting its great potential in practical water treatment applications.

Subfields: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Water Science and Technology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6a6178257b882aa5cd7fe7b304208b8ec394140e