Hollow-structured amorphous prussian blue decorated on graphitic carbon nitride for photo-assisted activation of...

Heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) is one of the most promising techniques for wastewater treatment. Herein, an ingenious system by coupling of photocatalysis and PMS activation was developed, using hollow-structured amorphous prussian blue (A-PB) decorated on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) as the catalyst. Degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) via the A-PB-g-C₃N₄ mediated PMS activation under visible light (Vis) was systematically investigated. Astonishingly, it was found that ~ 82.0%, 92.6%, 98.2% and 99.3% of BPA (40 mg/L) were removed within 2, 4, 6 and 7 min, respectively, suggesting the extremely strong oxidizing capacity of the A-PB-g-C₃N₄/PMS/Vis system. Synergistic effect between the decorated A-PB and the g-C₃N₄ substrate promoted the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox cycling and facilitated the charge transfer at the A-PB/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction interface. As a result, both photocatalysis and heterogeneous activation of PMS were boosted in the A-PB-g-C₃N₄/PMS/Vis system, leading to the production of large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The various ROS (SO₄^•-, HO•, •O₂^- and ¹O₂) was responsible for the ultrafast degradation of BPA. Moreover, the A-PB-g-C₃N₄ catalyst also exhibited outstanding reusability and stability, retaining 98.9% of the removal percentage for BPA after five consecutive reaction cycles. This study suggests that the A-PB-g-C₃N₄ can be an all-rounder to bridge photocatalysis and PMS activation, and shed a new light on the application of multiple ROS for the ultrafast elimination of micropollutants from wastewater.