Constructing an Acidic Microenvironment by MoS2 in Heterogeneous Fenton Reaction for Pollutant Control

Although Fenton or Fenton-like reactions have been widely used in the environment, biology, life science, and other fields, the sharp decrease in their activity under macroneutral conditions is still a large problem. This study reports a MoS2 cocatalytic heterogeneous Fenton (CoFe2O4/MoS2) system capable of sustainably degrading organic pollutants, such as phenol, in a macroneutral buffer solution. An acidic micro-environment in the slipping plane of CoFe2O4 is successfully constructed by chemically bonding with MoS2. This micro-environment is not affected by the surrounding pH, which ensures the stable circulation of Fe3+/Fe2+ on the surface of CoFe2O4/MoS2 under neutral or even alkaline conditions. Additionally, CoFe2O4/MoS2 always exposes fresh active sites for the decomposition of H2O2 and the generation of O-1(2), effectively inhibiting the production of iron sludge and enhancing the remediation of organic pollutants, even in actual wastewater. This work not only experimentally verifies the existence of an acidic microenvironment on the surface of heterogeneous catalysts for the first time, but also eliminates the pH limitation of the Fenton reaction for pollutant remediation, thereby expanding the applicability of Fenton technology.

Automated summary

This study introduces a MoS2 cocatalytic heterogeneous Fenton system that creates a stable acidic micro-environment for the circulation of Fe3+/Fe2+ under macroneutral conditions, leading to sustainable degradation of organic pollutants.