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Synergistic spatial confinement and electron penetration for ultrafast Fenton decontamination of micro pollutants and nanoplastics
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Researchers confined an iron oxychloride (FeOCl) catalyst inside carbon nanotubes to create a Fenton-like system that efficiently degrades both small antibiotic molecules and large PVC nanoplastics, showing that thinner nanotube walls allow electrons to penetrate outward and activate hydroxyl radicals that can attack even oversized contaminants too large to enter the nanotube.
Heterogeneous Fenton catalysts have garnered significant attention for water decontamination, yet their practical deployment is hindered by limited reactive species availability. This study confines FeOCl catalyst within carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of varying wall thicknesses, demonstrating exceptional performance in degrading both "small-sized" sulfamethazine (SMZ) and "large-sized" polyvinyl chloride (PVC) nano-plastics. Experimental results indicate that the efficient degradation of SMZ is primarily by hydroxyl radicals (OH), and the activation of HO is thermodynamically favorable for FeOCl-in-CNT catalysts. Correspondingly, the local reactant enrichment effect enhances the utilization of OH. Additionally, thinner CNT walls facilitate more efficient penetration of electrons from internal FeOCl to the surface CO and C-O functional groups of CNTs, subsequently aiding in the activation of HO present outside the CNTs for the degradation of "large-sized" PVC nano-plastics. The synergistic effect of nanoconfinement and electron penetration significantly enhances the removal of diverse contaminants in the water matrix. It also demonstrates superior reactivity in degrading SMZ under different water matrices, exhibiting robust environmental adaptability and high stability in treating realistic water. Overall, this integrated approach of nanoconfinement and electron penetration presents a novel paradigm for engineering heterogeneous Fenton systems, offering promising prospects for efficient water decontamination.
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