Tailored design of MXene-like 2D MOF derived carbon/Fe3O4 Fenton-like catalysts towards effective removal of contaminants via size-exclusion effect

Abstract

The development of high-performance heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts boosts their practical application under different scenario requirements. Herein, we put forward a MXene-like 2D MOF-derived carbon loaded Fe3O4 nanoparticles strategy to assemble NSC@Fe3O4 catalyst, which achieved effective removal of target pollutant via size-exclusion effect of 2D intervals. Under humic acid and tetracycline (TTCH) coexist condition, the degradation rate of target pollutant tetracycline presented negligible impact. To confirm the possible size-exclusion effect, Fe3O4 nanoparticles and unloaded NSC were also prepared to remove tetracycline. By quenching experiments, fluorescence detection, and EPR analysis, a non-radical mechanism dominated by 1O2 and electron transfer was hypothesized. The degradation products were analyzed by 3D EEM fluorescence and LC-MS, and the possible degradation pathways were inferred. Further toxicity analysis of intermediates and E. coli culture indicated that the toxicity of TTCH was reduced under NSC@Fe3O4/PMS system. Overall, this research proposes a novel method for selective and effective removal of target pollutants in complex water bodies using 2D MOF-derived carbon compounds.