One-step synthesis of novel Fe/Fe3O4 embedded in N-doped graphite-like carbon nanosheets with the entangled CNTs to activate peroxymonosulfate for bisphenol a degradation

• Fe/Fe 3 O 4 embedded in N-doped graphite-like carbon nanosheets with the entangled CNTs (Fe@CN-Ala) was prepared by a simple one-step pyrolysis. • Fe@CN-X showed structure-dependent PMS activation capacity. • Fe@CN-Ala/PMS system exhibited an outstanding removal capacity for BPA and was easy to revered owing to its magnetic properites. • Non-radical pathway ( 1 O 2 and electron transfer) was primarily degradation pathway. The development of novel carbon-based catalysts for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) has attracted extensive attention in the Advance oxidation process (AOPs) for the removal of organic pollutants in water. In this study, using different amino acids as raws to prepare two kinds of N-doping catalysts with different morphology and structure: Fe@CN-Val, Fe@CN-Gly, and Fe@CN possess the 1D structure of bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) while Fe@CN-Ala form the 3D structure of Fe/Fe 3 O 4 embedded in N-doped graphite-like carbon nanosheets with the entangled CNTs. The Fe@CN-Ala/PMS exhibited the highest degradation efficiency of BPA compared with other catalysts because the 3D structure shows a bigger pore volume with a high specific surface area than the 1D structure, which facilitated the transfer of substances and the exposure of more active sites. Meanwhile, Fe@CN-Ala with strong magnetic properties was easily recovered from the reaction solution. By quenching experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance trapping and electrochemical characterization, the mechanisms of the Fe@CN-Ala system for BPA degradation were primarily a non-radical process of electron transfer and 1 O 2 . This study will elicit critical insights into the structure design of high-performance carbon-based catalysts for PMS activation in environment applications.