Advances of single-atom catalysts for applications in persulfate-based advanced oxidation technologies

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been attracted great attention because of their distinct physical structure and chemical properties, particularly in the field of catalysis. More recently, SACs have been extensively used in persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for organic pollutant degradation. This review first briefly introduces the synthesis and characterization strategies of SACs, and analyses new progresses and the develop trend of SACs in persulfate activation. Then, a series of applications of SACs in persulfate activation for the degradation of organic pollutants are highlighted. Meanwhile, the strength of SACs in AOPs are summarized, and the opportunities and challenges encountered by SACs in the AOPs field and its future development direction are also proposed.