Controlled synthesis of bimetallic Prussian blue analogues to activate peroxymonosulfate for efficient bisphenol A degradation

Developing high-effective catalysts with tailored composition and structure has attracted extensive attention. In this work, a serious of shape-specific Fe/Co Prussian blue analogs (PBAs), including concave, core-shell and polygonal cubes were prepared by the one-step hydrothermal reaction, which were altered by adjusting the ratio of Fe/Co in the initial reaction system. The catalytic performance toward bisphenol A (BPA) degradation was significantly affected by the ultimate structure and Fe/Co composition. Benefiting from appropriate elemental proportions, unique elemental distribution (rich Co in the core and rich Fe in the shell) and high specific surface areas, the core-shell PBAs (CSPs) exhibits significantly higher peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation performance toward bisphenol A (BPA) degradation (96 % of removal efficiency within 2 min). The stability of the CSPs catalyst test further indicates that the Fe shell can effectively protect and inhibit the leaching of cobalt ions. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and radical quenching experiments measurement exhibited that both SO4 center dot- and (OH)-O-center dot are the main active species in the degradation process. Our work expanded new ideas of designing novel PBAs with controllable shape and specific core-shell composition with excellent catalytic performance.