Single-atom Mo–Co catalyst with low biotoxicity for sustainable degradation of high-ionization-potential organic pollutants

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are a promising area in environmental catalysis. We report on a bimetallic Co-Mo SAC that shows excellent performance in activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for sustainable degradation of organic pollutants with high ionization potential (IP > 8.5 eV). Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and experimental tests demonstrate that the Mo sites in Mo-Co SACs play a critical role in conducting electrons from organic pollutants to Co sites, leading to a 19.4-fold increase in the degradation rate of phenol compared to the CoCl2-PMS group. The bimetallic SACs exhibit excellent catalytic performance even under extreme conditions and show long-term activation in 10-d experiments, efficiently degrading 600 mg/L of phenol. Moreover, the catalyst has negligible toxicity toward MDA-MB-231, Hela, and MCF-7 cells, making it an environmentally friendly option for sustainable water treatment. Our findings have important implications for the design of efficient SACs for environmental remediation and other applications in biology and medicine.