MOF-derived MnO@C with high activity for electric field-assisted catalytic oxidation of aqueous pollutants

The activation of oxygen (O₂) under room condition is important for the utilization of air to perform oxidation. Here, we report a porous carbon-encapsulated MnO (MnO@C) derived from Mn metal-organic framework (MOF)grown in-situ on a graphite felt (GF) support. The MnO@C exhibits superior catalytic activity in an electric field-assisted catalytic oxidation system for the degradation of organic pollutants under room condition. The catalytic oxidation reaction applies a surface reaction pathway in which the surface-bound chemisorbed oxygen species are electro-oxidized and then involved in the oxidation of co-adsorbed organic pollutants. The abundant oxygen vacancies and oxygenated functional groups in MnO@C provide active sites for the chemisorption of O₂, and its conductive mesoporous structure allows facile electrons and mass transfer. As a result, the MnO@C/GF catalyst displays quite high turnover frequency (TOF) value as 0.038 mg-TOC mg-MnO^-1 min^-1, which is 6.66 times higher than that of the MnO/GF catalyst prepared by impregnation method as a comparison. With the aid of + 1.0 V of positive electric field, the catalytic oxidation system exhibits extensive effectiveness in mineralizing a variety of dyes, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and phenolic compounds under room condition with significantly enhanced biodegradability.