Crystallinity engineering for overcoming the activity–stability tradeoff of spinel oxide in Fenton-like catalysis

A precise modulation of heterogeneous catalysts in structural and surface properties promises the development of more sustainable advanced oxidation water purification technologies. However, while catalysts with superior decontamination activity and selectivity are already achievable, maintaining a long-term service life of such materials remains challenging. Here, we propose a crystallinity engineering strategy to break the activity–stability tradeoff of metal oxides in Fenton-like catalysis. The amorphous/crystalline cobalt-manganese spinel oxide (A/C-CoMnO_x) provided highly active, hydroxyl group-rich surface, with moderate peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-binding affinity and charge transfer energy and strong pollutant adsorption, to trigger concerted radical and nonradical reactions for efficient pollutant mineralization, thereby alleviating the catalyst passivation by oxidation intermediate accumulation. Meanwhile, the surface-confined reactions, benefited from the enhanced adsorption of pollutants at A/C interface, rendered the A/C-CoMnO_x/PMS system ultrahigh PMS utilization efficiency (82.2%) and unprecedented decontamination activity (rate constant of 1.48 min⁻¹) surpassing almost all the state-of-the-art heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts. The superior cyclic stability and environmental robustness of the system for real water treatment was also demonstrated. Our work unveils a critical role of material crystallinity in modulating the Fenton-like catalytic activity and pathways of metal oxides, which fundamentally improves our understanding of the structure–activity–selectivity relationships of heterogeneous catalysts and may inspire material design for more sustainable water purification application and beyond. Copyright © 2023 the Author(s).