Ingenious control of adsorbed oxygen species to construct dual reaction centers ZnO@FePc photo-Fenton catalyst with high-speed electron transmission channel for PPCPs degradation

To achieve efficient degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), dual reaction centers ZnO@FePc photo-Fenton catalysts with high-speed electron transmission channel were designed through surface hydroxyl-induced assembly. In ZnO@FePc catalytic system, the photocatalysis center of ZnO and Fenton cata-lytic center of FePc were formed simultaneously. Concept and process for the control of hydroxyl groups to construct a dual reaction center ZnO@FePc photo-Fenton catalyst were verified ingeniously based on the density functional theory (DFT) analysis and experimental results. A series of catalysts, including ZIF-8 (400 degrees C-N-2), FePc (400 degrees C-N-2), ZIF-8 (400 degrees C)-FePc (400 degrees C) and ZnO@FePc were prepared and characterized by XRD, FTIR, TEM, BET, XPS, PL and DRS, respectively. The ZnO@FePc catalyst showed superior performance for the photo-Fenton degradation of ibuprofen, affording degradation rate larger than 90 % within just 10 min under simulateed sunlight. The excellent performance of ZnO@FePc catalyst is mainly attributed to the synergistic effect between dual reaction centers of ZnO@FePc. This work provides a novel method to construct dual reaction centers ZnO@FePc catalyst with efficient photo-generated electrons transmission link and to strengthen the synergistic effect of dual reaction centers.

Automated summary

Efficient degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) was achieved using dual reaction centers ZnO@FePc photo-Fenton catalysts, with controlled hydroxyl groups for construction and superior performance attributed to the synergistic effect between the dual reaction centers. The novel method presented demonstrates the importance of efficient photo-generated electron transmission link and strengthens the synergistic effect of dual reaction centers in the ZnO@FePc catalyst.