Citation: Jiaqi Wu, Fengze Zhuang, Yuqiu Xie, Yue Chen, Xiaofei Zeng, Liang Chen, Bocheng Qiu, Qiaohong Zhu, Mingyang Xing. Enlarged Fe-O covalency enabled by Mo incorporation for water remediation[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(10): 112508. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2026.112508 shu

Enlarged Fe-O covalency enabled by Mo incorporation for water remediation

Jiaqi Wu ^a ,
Fengze Zhuang ^a ,
Yuqiu Xie ^a ,
Yue Chen ^a ,
Xiaofei Zeng ^a ,
Liang Chen ^a ,
Bocheng Qiu ^{b, *,} ,
Qiaohong Zhu ^{a, *,} ,
Mingyang Xing ^{a, c, d, **,}

a.
Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology, College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
b.
Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
c.
Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
d.
Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Multimedia Environmental Catalysis and Resource Utilization, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China

^**

bochengqiu@njau.edu.cn

zhuqh@hznu.edu.cn

mingyangxing@ecust.edu.cn

Received Date: 24 September 2025
Revised Date: 12 December 2025
Accepted Date: 5 February 2026
Available Online: 6 February 2026

Figures(5)

The worldwide utilization of antibiotics and the generation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria necessitate the development of alternative wastewater treatment strategies, in which the cycling of metallic ions and the precise modulation of Fe active sites remain critically important factors to be concerned. In this work, Mo incorporation is strategically employed to modulate Fe-O covalency through charge redistribution driven by strong Fe-Mo interactions over graphite carbon ring/CN (CCN). This design achieves an exceptional degradation rate constant, which arises from synergistic Fe/Mo catalytic-co-catalytic interactions that facilitate sustainable metal redox cycling, enhance bonding orbital overlap, and optimize surface adsorption characteristics. The Mo-modified catalyst (FeMoCCN) exhibits a greater contribution to bonding orbitals compared to the singly Fe-doped counterpart (FeCCN). The introduction of Mo enhances Fe-O covalency, thereby facilitating electron transfer for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and subsequent degradation processes. Remarkably, complete electron transfer is achieved through the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, Mo⁶⁺/Mo⁴⁺, Fe³⁺/Mo⁴⁺ redox couples, further implying the robust adaptability of this Fenton-like system for antibiotic degradation while providing mechanistic insights into the synergistic effects between light irradiation, oxidant activation, and bimetallic doping modulation in advanced wastewater treatment.
- Charge redistribution,
- Fe-O covalency,
- Metal redox cycling,
- Fenton-like reaction,
- Antibiotic wastewater removal
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