Boosting fenton-like reaction by reconstructed single Fe atom catalyst for oxidizing organics: Synergistic effect of conjugated π-π sp2 structured carbon and isolated Fe-N4 sites

The synthesis of a highly efficient and stable single atom catalyst (SAC) for peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation remains a challenge. Herein, a reconstructed iron single atom catalyst (Fe-SAC) with both abundant conjugated π-π sp2 structured carbon and reactive Fe-N4 sites was first reported to improve the decomposition of organics in PDS/SACs systems. Enhanced organics adsorption can be achieved by the conjugated π-π sp2 structured carbon via π-π interaction to decrease the migration distance of reactive species to organic molecules. In addition, PDS tended to be attached onto the Fe-N4 sites accompanied by the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) generation via S-O breakage of PDS, accelerating the generation of radicals. As a result, organics decomposition via PDS activation by reconstructed Fe-SAC was significantly higher (∼6 times) than the conventional Fe-SAC because of the synergistic effect of the resulting dual reaction sites. This work provides a new strategy to enhance the catalytic performances in PDS/SACs systems.