Facet-dependent peroxymonosulfate activity and mechanism of CuO for degradation of organic pollutants

CuO is currently used as an effective activator for peroxymonosulfate (PMS), which exhibits complex radical, nonradical, or both activation pathways. However, there exists a knowledge gap concerning the relationship between CuO exposed facets and the PMS activation pathway, which should require further investigation. This study employed a simple and facile hydrothermal method to controllably prepare CuO samples with exposed {010} and {001} facets (referred to as CuO-010 and CuO-001, respectively). The main aim was to further study the facet-dependent PMS activation mechanism. The experimental results showed that the CuO-001 exhibited significantly higher activation efficiency than the CuO-010 due to the different surface atomic arrangement. Furthermore, scavenging experiments and EPR analyses revealed that CuO-010 exhibited both radical ( SO 4 • − and •OH) and non-radical ( 1 O 2 ) pathways, synergistically degraded tetracycline (TC) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Conversely, the CuO-001 displayed non-radical ( 1 O 2 ) and Cu(Ⅲ) intermediates, collaborating to oxidize the degradation of TC and 4-NP. More importantly, the generated 1 O 2 species and Cu(Ⅲ) intermediates exhibited a preference for reacting with amino or phenolic compounds containing electron-rich functional groups. Moreover, the CuO-001 also showed excellent resistance to anion interference, stability, and compatibility of a wide pH range. The outcomes of this study provide new insights into the comprehensiveness facet-dependent activation of PMS and the design of efficient metal oxide catalysts using the facet strategy for effective degradation of amino/phenolic pollutants in wastewater.