Vertical Through‑Bond Co─O─Mo Bridge Enables Dual‑Site Nonradical Selective Oxidation

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Selective oxidation is vital for catalysis, but challenging at solid-liquid interfaces.
• Existing methods struggle to couple redox centers at the atomic scale for nonradical pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a catalytic interface that efficiently activates oxidants and stabilizes intermediates for nonradical oxidation.
• To develop a transferable design principle for selective heterogeneous oxidation catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Constructed asymmetric Cobalt-Oxygen-Molybdenum (Co─O─Mo) bridges at a buried interface.
• Utilized a CoOOH overlayer and a defect-rich Molybdenum Sulfide (MoS2) substrate.
• Investigated the catalyst's performance in oxidizing organic micropollutants.

Main Results:

• The vertical through-bond interface preferentially catalyzed nonradical reactions.
• Achieved efficient oxidant activation and intermediate stabilization, suppressing radical chemistry.
• Demonstrated high reactivity for diverse micropollutant oxidation with superior matrix tolerance.

Conclusions:

• Vertical through-bond bridges offer a new strategy for coupling structural asymmetry and electron polarization in catalysis.
• The developed catalyst is effective for water treatment and compatible with flow-through systems.
• This work provides a transferable design principle for selective oxidation heterogeneous catalytic systems.