Construction of S-doped cellulose nanocrystals with edge sulfur vacancies to enhance the generation of 1O2 and promote peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation

The strategy of constructing edge sulfur vacancies at cellulose surface interfaces has attracted widespread interest in fields such as electronics, photonics, optoelectronics, electrocatalysis, environmental remediation, and biosensing. In this study, NiCo 2 S 4 (NCS) was modified onto cellulose sulfide nanocrystals (SCNC) with chiral helical structures. Utilizing high energy β Particle bombardment on the surface of photocatalysts induces the generation of edge S vacancies in SCNC, while promoting the formation of heterometallic single-atom clusters (Co n , Ni n ) in NCS. The edge sulfur vacancies on the surface of SCNC exhibit high reactivity and adsorption capacity. The aggregation of Co and Ni at this position can transfer photo generated electrons to the edge sulfur vacancies, thereby protecting the edge sulfur vacancies and prolonging the carrier lifetime. Electrons enriched in edge S vacancies can activate the O–O bond of PMS, thereby achieving efficient degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP). The degradation kinetics constant of Co n -Ni n /NCS/SCNC-S v /PMS is 1.69 times higher than that of NCS/SCNC/PMS. In addition, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) shows that the sample produces a large amount of 1 O 2 during photocatalysis This article constructs a new approach for protecting edge S vacancies with heterogeneous single atom clusters, providing a new perspective for achieving efficient photocatalytic degradation of CIP.