Single-Atom Copper@Carbon Nanospheres for Catalytic Ozonation: Parallel Dual Surface Oxidation Pathways for Broad-Spectrum Water Pollutant Removal.
Date
2025
Authors
Cheng, Y.
Zhou, J.
Chen, Z.
Bi, J.
Ren, S.
Zhong, S.
Yan, P.
Li, Y.
Wang, S.
Duan, X.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Environmental Science and Technology, 2025; 59(40):21738-21748
Statement of Responsibility
Yizhen Cheng, Jianshu Zhou, Zhonglin Chen, Jinhong Bi, Shiying Ren, Shuang Zhong, Pengwei Yan, Yabin Li, Shaobin Wang, and Xiaoguang Duan
Conference Name
Abstract
Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) is a promising strategy for removing organic pollutants from wastewater, but its practical deployment is limited by the scavenging effects of coexisting constituents (e.g., inorganic anions and humic acids) on hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Herein, we developed atomically dispersed single-atom copper@carbon nanospheres (Cu-NC-3), which effectively decompose ozone (O₃) to generate surface atomic oxygen (*O), as confirmed by the in situ Raman experiments and theoretical calculations. The *O species rapidly degrade 60% of oxalic acid (OA) within 1 min, while protonation of *O produces surfaceconfined hydroxyl radicals (•OHad) that achieve 94.7% removal of benzoic acid (BA) and other aromatic compounds. Compared to ozonation alone, the O₃/Cu-NC-3 system enhances OA and BA removal by 34.5- and 1.5-fold, respectively. Atomic-level Cu dispersion induces carbon defects that enrich surface O₃, and Cu−N₄ coordination sites promote its conversion to *O and •OHad. This dual-oxidation mechanism effectively ensures and enables broadspectrum pollutant removal and exceptional catalytic stability under long-term operation. Therefore, the O₃/Cu-NC-3 system offers a robust and efficient approach for treating real wastewater containing diverse interfering species.
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Dissertation Note
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Published as part of Environmental Science & Technology special issue “Materials Science and Environmental Applicability”.
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© 2025 American Chemical Society