Electronic modulation of S and N co-implanted carbon as fenton-like photocatalysts for water remediation

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is crucial for degrading toxic pollutants. Herein, the co-implantation of S and N in carbon (SNC) was facilely constructed as Fenton-like photocatalysts for water remediation. Experimental and theoretical prediction disclosed that the electron cloud density around the C atom weakens the adjacent N-O as well as S-O bond due to the fracture of the surface N/S-O bond, facilitating electron transfer and subsequently the activation of surface lattice oxygen. The electronic effect of SNC catalysts with different S and N doping amounts was later regulated, and the rational reaction mechanism of the 2SNC + PMS + light (L) system was proposed. The obtained 2SNC exposed more exposed active sites (e.g., thiophene S and pyrrolic N) to effectively activate PMS with high performance by generating dominant active species superoxide radicals (center dot O2 ) in water remediation. The activity surpasses the results reported previously. A degradation rate of Aspirin (Asp) was up to 95.1% and the mineralization rate of 70.6% was reached in 40 min. Besides, these fabricated 2SNC catalysts were also suitable for the degradation of other phenolic pollutants (phenol (P), bisphenol A (BPA), 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP), and p-chlorophenol (CP)) with the removal rate of over 70% in 40 min. Furthermore, the catalyst maintained satisfactory efficiency in actual water samples. This study provides a new guideline for developing S and N co-implanted carbon for water remediation.