Boosting the degradation of antibiotics via peroxymonosulfate activation with a Cu-based metal-organic framework

Highly efficient degradation of antibiotics is a huge challenge due to the extremely stable molecules and the potential for biological resistance. However, conventional degradation methods are limited to lower degradation rate, higher energy consumption and secondary pollution. Herein, we report a new Cu-based metal-organic framework (MOF), featuring classical planar trinuclear [Cu₃(µ₃-O)]⁴⁺ clusters within the pores. The presence of the rich open metal sites and the large pore ratio, as well as the high catalytic activity of Cu²⁺ ions, are conducive to boosting the degradation of various antibiotics (>95%) under the activation of peroxymonosulfate. Remarkably, this is the first MOF to achieve such exceptional catalytic performance under neutral and even alkaline conditions, which exceeds those of most reported materials. Mechanism investigation demonstrates that multiple active species were produced and promoted the degradation synergistically during the advanced oxidation processes.