Porous carbon nanofibers loaded with copper-cobalt bimetallic particles for heterogeneously catalyzing peroxymonosulfate to degrade organic dyes

Abstract

Countering the problem of expediting the peroxymonosulfate oxidation, porous carbon nanofibers loaded with copper-cobalt bimetallic particles (CuCo@ CNF) were synthesized by a three-step process, including electrospinning, solvothermal reaction and carbonization. The well-crystallized copper-cobalt nanoparticles with an average particle size of 322 nm, which were evenly decorated on the surface of the porous carbon nanofibers with a relatively high specific surface area (average value=161.281 m2 g−1), as examined by XRD, SEM, TEM, and BET. The saturation magnetization of CuCo@CNF measured by VSM is 26.5 emu g−1, suggesting its easy separation due to magnetic property. In CuCo@CNF-PMS system, the removal rate of Acid Red 1 (AR1) as a model pollutant can achieved 99.0% and 98.1% in the 1st and 7th run, respectively. Metal leaching after reaction were reduced for CuCo@CNF when compared with the respective CNF supported Co or Cu catalysts. In addition, the catalytic degradation mechanism of AR1 was elucidated by detecting reactive oxygen species (ROS: SO•4-, •OH and 1O2) alongside the reaction. AR1 can even be mineralized through CuCo@CNF-PMS, evidenced by TOC removal rate of 55.5% within 20 min. These results suggest that the as-synthesized catalyst is an attractive candidate for the treatment of wastewater with recalcitrant organic pollutants.