Prussian blue analog-derived CoFe oxide nanocages for efficient and stable peroxymonosulfate activation toward tetracycline degradation

Hollow PBA-derived CoFeO nanocages with well-developed mesoporous structure successfully synthesized. • High Co (II)/Co (III) ratio and oxygen vacancies boost PMS activation. • Efficient tetracycline degradation (96.17%) via radical (•OH, SO 4 •– , O 2 •– ) and non-radical ( 1 O 2 ) pathways. • Good reusability and a certain ionic interference tolerance demonstrated. Antibiotic contamination in the environment poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health. In this study, hollow CoFe oxide nanocages derived from a Prussian blue analog (PBA-CoFeO) were synthesized and used for efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation toward tetracycline degradation. The catalyst exhibits a high Co (II)/Co (III) ratio (1.74) and a high density of oxygen vacancies, which synergistically enhance PMS activation. Tetracycline (TC) was selected as a model antibiotic to evaluate catalytic performance. Under optimized conditions, the PBA-CoFeO/PMS system achieved a removal efficiency of 96.17% and maintained over 80% efficiency after five consecutive cycles, demonstrating excellent stability and reusability. Notably, the TC removal efficiency remained above 80% in the presence of coexisting anions, suggesting a certain resistance to ionic interference. Radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy revealed that hydroxyl radicals (•OH), sulfate radicals (SO 4 •– ), superoxide radicals (O 2 •– ) and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) were involved in the degradation process, confirming the coexistence of radical and non-radical pathways. This work highlights the potential of PBAs-derived catalysts for efficient PMS activation and their application in advanced oxidation processes. Download: Download high-res image (271KB) Download: Download full-size image