Electronic Structure Modulation of Graphitic Carbon Nitride by Oxygen Doping for Enhanced Catalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants through Peroxymonosulfate Activation

Oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride (O–CN) was fabricated via a facile thermal polymerization method using urea and oxalic acid dihydrate as the graphitic carbon nitride precursor and oxygen source, respectively. Experimental and theoretical results revealed that oxygen doping preferentially occurred on the two-coordinated nitrogen positions, which create the formation of low and high electron density areas resulting in the electronic structure modulation of O–CN. As a result, the resultant O–CN exhibits enhanced catalytic activity and excellent long-term stability for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation toward the degradation of organic pollutants. The O–CN with modulated electronic structure enables PMS oxidation over the electron-deficient C atoms for the generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) and PMS reduction around the electron-rich O dopants for the formation of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and sulfate radical (SO4•–), in which 1O2 is the major reactive oxygen species, contributing to the selective reactivity of the O–CN/PMS system. Our findings not only propose a novel PMS activation mechanism in terms of simultaneous PMS oxidation and reduction for the production of nonradical and radical species but also provide a valuable insight for the development of efficient metal-free catalysts through nonmetal doping toward the persulfate-based environmental cleanup.