Oxygen Vacancy-Laden Confinement Impact on Degradation of Metal Complexes

Oxygen vacancies (Vo) have been recognized as the superior active site for PS-mediated environmental remediation; however, the formation and activation of Vo associated with the effects of chemical and spatial environments remain ambiguous. Herein, attributing to the low defect-formation energy of Vo in the presence of sulfonate groups, an in situ nucleating Vo-laden CuO nanosheet was deliberately fabricated inside the phase of a sulfonated mesoporous polystyrene substrate (Vo-CuO@SPM). The as-prepared nanocomposite demonstrated an excellent treatment efficiency toward metal complexes [Cu-EDTA as a case] with ignorable Cu(II) leaching, and it can be repeatedly employed for 25 recycles (not limited). Mechanistically, the electron transfer and the mass transport for PDS nonradical activation were proved to be substantially enhanced by the delocalized electrons and with the assistance of the microchannel environment. This work not only establishes insight into the formation of oxygen vacancies but also reveals the PS activation mechanism in the spatially confined sites.