Citation: Jianke Tan, Xiaodan Zhang, Yuming Huang. Insights into PMS activation mechanism by Te-Co₃O_4-α for levofloxacin removal: Role of interstitial and substitutional doping[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(6): 112124. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.112124 shu

Insights into PMS activation mechanism by Te-Co₃O_4-α for levofloxacin removal: Role of interstitial and substitutional doping

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China

ymhuang@swu.edu.cn

Received Date: 21 July 2025
Revised Date: 13 October 2025
Accepted Date: 16 November 2025
Available Online: 17 November 2025

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The correlation between the distinct doping modalities of heteroatoms in metal oxides and the activation pathways of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) remains underappreciated. To address the issue, herein, we synthesized Te-doped Co₃O_4-α via a simple hydrothermal method and employed it as a heterogeneous catalyst for PMS activation to degrade levofloxacin (LEV). The incorporation of Te via both interstitial and substitutional doping synergistically enhanced the activity of Co₃O₄ toward PMS activation, resulting in a 66-fold increase in the LEV degradation kinetics. Various characterizations and trial results revealed that the coexistence of these doping configurations unlocked multiple pathways for reactive species generation. Interstitial Te dominates the formation of radicals and singlet oxygen (¹O₂), and synergistically cooperates with the generated oxygen vacancies to promote the cyclic regeneration of low-valent Co sites. On the other hand, substitutional Te primarily tailors the electron density of Co atoms through Co-O-Te sites, driving the formation of high-valent Co(Ⅳ)=O species. The factors affecting the LEV degradation were investigated, and the potential applications of the Te-Co₃O_4-α/PMS system were explored. Also, LEV degradation pathways were discussed. This work elucidates the correlation between doping modalities and PMS activation pathways, rendering a novel strategy to develop high performance catalysts for PMS activation.
- Peroxymonosulfate,
- Activation pathway,
- Interstitial doping,
- Substitutional doping,
- Oxygen vacancy
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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

Insights into PMS activation mechanism by Te-Co3O4-α for levofloxacin removal: Role of interstitial and substitutional doping

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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

Insights into PMS activation mechanism by Te-Co₃O_4-α for levofloxacin removal: Role of interstitial and substitutional doping