Highly active heterogeneous FeCo metallic oxides for peroxymonosulfate activation: The mechanism of oxygen vacancy enhancement

Oxygen vacancies (O v ) can improve the electronic structure of catalyst, thus enhancing catalyst activity and reducing metal leaching . In this work, an O v -enriched FeCo bimetallic catalyst (3DOM FeCo) was designed and prepared. The presence of abundant O v was observed by Raman measurements and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicated the improvement of electrochemical and photochemical properties of 3DOM FeCo by O v . The function of O v as the main active site for PMS adsorption and activation were proved by XPS analysis and density functional theory (DFT). With the superior properties modified by O v , 3DOM FeCo achieved 100% APAP degradation and 50% mineralization within 60 min. And 3DOM FeCo/PMS system was effective and adaptable in different pH values and real water samples. This work made great efforts in continuously improving catalytic efficiency and solving secondary pollution problems.