Defect- and nitrogen-rich porous carbon embedded with Co NPs derived from self-assembled Co-ZIF-8 @ anionic polyacrylamide network as PMS activator for highly efficient removal of tetracycline hydrochloride from water

The design of N-doped carbon-based nanomaterials for efficient heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for environmental remediation has piqued the attention of many researchers. In this study, precise temperature control vaporized Zn to form defects, and N-doped porous carbon-encapsulated Co nanoparticles were successfully generated by pyrolyzing the zeolite imidazolium framework (Co-ZIF-8(CZ)) @ anionic polyacrylamide (APAM) network composite ([email protected] (CZA)). Benefiting from the defect structure and enhanced N content doped Co particles, the obtained nanomaterials exhibited excellent effect and stability on tetracycline hydrochloride (TC• HCl) breakdown by activated PMS. The separation efficiency of TC• HCl in the CZA-1000/PMS system was 99.8% within 30 min and was 2.43 times more than pure Co-ZIF-8/PMS. In addition, the study investigated potential factors including pH, the coexistence of anions/cations/halide ions, TC• HCl, Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride (CPFX• HCl), and TC• HCl removal from natural water. CZA-1000/PMS system kept excellent performance. Through EPR, Raman spectroscopy, and XPS, the mechanism exploration revealed that the N-doped carbon modified with Co nanoparticles generated the oxygen defects and promoted the catalytic activity and stability. The radical and nonradical oxidation co-acted on TC• HCl degradation.