Citation: Zhen Liu, Xinyi Xu, Jinkai He, Fei Xu, Qian Li. Revealing the synergistic effect of materials composition and pollutants structure on catalytic degradation mechanism in heterogeneous iron-based Fenton-like reactions[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(4): 111644. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111644 shu

Revealing the synergistic effect of materials composition and pollutants structure on catalytic degradation mechanism in heterogeneous iron-based Fenton-like reactions

Zhen Liu ^a ,
Xinyi Xu ^a ,
Jinkai He ^a ,
Fei Xu ^b ,
Qian Li ^{a, c, *,}

a.
Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266200, China
b.
Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266200, China
c.
Shenzhen Research Institute of Shandong University, Shenzhen 518057, China

qianli@sdu.edu.cn

Received Date: 18 December 2024
Revised Date: 10 June 2025
Accepted Date: 28 July 2025
Available Online: 5 August 2025

Figures(5)

Elucidating the synergistic influence mechanism of catalysts composition and pollutants structure on the treatment system is a necessary way to further expand the application potential of heterogeneous iron-based Fenton-like technology in the field of water treatment from catalytic source and degradation end. In this study, a nitrogen-doped iron-carbon material (Fe-NC-4%) was synthesized to effectively activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to remove different organic pollutants, thus further exploring the synergistic effects of material and pollutant structures on degradation performance and mechanism. A combination of characterization analysis, experimental demonstration and density functional theory calculation showed that the more graphitic nitrogen in Fe-NC-4% assisted the Fe active centers to adsorb PMS more easily and further form the Fe-NC-4%-PMS* complex with high activity and stability. And the Fe-NC-4%-PMS* complex could efficiently and selectively degraded electron-donating organics by electron transfer process (ETP). The degradation rate of ofloxacin (OFL) with stronger electron-donating ability could reach 0.405 min⁻¹ in the Fe-NC-4%/PMS system. In addition, the Fe-NC-4%/PMS system possessed strong environmental adaptability, safety and practical application potential. This study would provide technical and theoretical guidance for the top-down analysis of specific reaction mechanisms in Fenton-like systems, including catalyst structure design, reactive species generation and selective pollutant degradation.
- Fenton-like reaction,
- Electron transfer process,
- Graphitic nitrogen,
- Electron-donating organics,
- Selective degradation
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