In-situ synthesis of self-standing cobalt-doped nickel sulfide nanoarray as a recyclable and integrated catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation

The existing catalysts for sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) are mostly in the powder form. However, the application of powdered catalyst often leads to problems such as increased cost due to difficult recovery. In this study, an in-situ synthesized self-supporting cobalt-doped nickel sulfide nanosheet array on nickel foam (NCS/NF) is proven capable of working as a recyclable and integrated catalyst for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. This integrated catalyst is more practical in water treatment due to its separable and recyclable properties. In this study, a series of experiments show that the catalytic degradation performance of NCS/NF toward levofloxacin hydrochloride (LFX) could be comparable to most powdered catalysts. The catalytic mechanism analyses show that the incorporated cobalt plays a predominant role in enhancing PMS activation.