Single cobalt atoms anchored on porous N-doped graphene with dual reaction sites for efficient Fenton-like catalysis

Abstract

The Fenton-like process presents one of the most promising strategies to generate reactive oxygen-containing radicals to deal with the ever-growing environmental pollution. However, developing improved catalysts with adequate activity and stability is still a long-term goal for practical application. Herein, we demonstrate single cobalt atoms anchored on porous N-doped graphene with dual reaction sites as highly reactive and stable Fenton-like catalysts for efficient catalytic oxidation of recalcitrant organics via activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Our experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the CoN4 site with a single Co atom serves as the active site with optimal binding energy for PMS activation, while the adjacent pyrrolic N site adsorbs organic molecules. The dual reaction sites greatly reduce the migration distance of the active singlet oxygen produced from PMS activation and thus improve the Fenton-like catalytic performance.