The Fenton reaction is one
of the most efficient and widely used advanced oxidation processes for
remediating the ever-growing water pollution. Metal-free photocatalysts for
Fenton-like reactions have gathered enormous scientific interest for their advantages
including board pH operation range and high stability. Herein, we demonstrate a
metal-free covalent organic framework (COF)-based
standalone photocatalyst with superior reactivity and reusability for
Fenton-like reactions at acid and neutral pH solutions, which can be attributed
to its large porosity, high density of the photoactive triazine moiety,
vertical π arrays formed by eclipsed layer stacking and the <i>β</i>‑ketoenamine
linkage. Our experiments showed that the photocatalyst can absorb visible light
effectively for activation of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, producing abundant
reactive oxygen species including superoxide radical (O<sub>2</sub><sup>·-</sup>),
hydroxyl radical (<sup>·</sup>OH), and singlet oxygen (<sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>)
for oxidizing organic pollutants. This work not only provides an efficient
metal-free photocatalyst for Fenton-like reactions, but also paves the way for
COFs towards advanced oxidation processes, opening up the possibilities to
their future applications in industry.
Insight on the fundamentals of advanced oxidation processes. Role and review of the determination methods of reactive oxygen species
