Phase-Controlled Multi-Element Oxide-Sulfide Heterostructure Toward High-Efficiency Electro-Fenton Oxidation.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Electron Fenton (EF) degradation is limited by inefficient in situ hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) electrosynthesis and Fe²⁺ regeneration.
• Developing stable and efficient catalysts is crucial for advancing EF technology in wastewater treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel multi-element oxide-sulfide heterostructure catalyst for enhanced EF degradation.
• To optimize the catalyst's performance through controlled synthesis and understand the underlying mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a multi-element oxide-sulfide heterostructure (FeVCoCuMn)₂O₃/(CuFeVCoMn)S with optimized phase ratio via temperature control.
• Experimental characterization and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to analyze catalyst properties.
• Performance evaluation using tetracycline degradation in EF process and stability testing over multiple cycles.

Main Results:

• The optimized (FeVCoCuMn)₂O₃/(CuFeVCoMn)S heterostructure significantly improved H₂O₂ electrosynthesis and Fe²⁺ regeneration compared to subsystems.
• DFT calculations confirmed enhanced charge transfer and optimized intermediate binding within the heterostructure.
• Achieved 98% tetracycline degradation within 120 minutes and maintained 87% efficiency over ten cycles.

Conclusions:

• The multi-element oxide-sulfide heterostructure is a highly efficient and stable catalyst for EF wastewater treatment.
• Synergistic effects of multi-metal doping and heterostructure design are key to superior catalytic performance.
• This study offers valuable insights for designing advanced heterogeneous EF catalysts.