Porous boron nitride micro-nanotubes efficiently anchor CoFe2O4 as a magnetic recyclable catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation and oxytetracycline rapid degradation

In order to further enhance the activation performance of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), an efficient and recyclable ferromagnetic catalyst was successfully fabricated by co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods. We designed commercial hexagonal sheet boron nitride (C-BN) and boron nitrogen micro-nanotubes (BNMTs) to anchor CoFe2O4 nanoparticles ([email protected]2O4/[email protected]2O4). Compared with smooth hexagonal C-BN, BNMTs were rich in pores and oxygen-containing groups. This could effectively immobilize CoFe2O4 to a certain extent, increase the loading of CoFe2O4 and enrich the active sites. Under optimal conditions, [email protected]2O4/PMS system could rapidly and efficiently degrade 92.7% of oxytetracycline (OTC) within 5 min. In addition, the strong binding force between BNMTs and CoFe2O4 enabled favorable regeneration efficiency after 5 cycles (87.6%). [email protected]2O4 activated PMS to generate hydroxyl radical (·OH), sulfate radical (SO4•-), superoxide radical (·O2–) and singlet oxygen (1O2) to further attack OTC, SO4•- and 1O2 were the main activities species. Meanwhile, there was also a non-radical mechanism for the activation of PMS by [email protected]2O4, and OTC achieved a rapid and efficient degradation process through electron transfer. Our survey results were expected to provide new insights for the rational design and application of boron nitride-based materials and transition metal/PMS systems for environmental remediation.