Yingge He, Yuyan Huang, Yu-Xin Ye, Yanchun Deng, Xin Yang and Gangfeng Ouyang
{"title":"Initiating photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants under ultra-low light intensity via oxygen-centered organic radicals†","authors":"Yingge He, Yuyan Huang, Yu-Xin Ye, Yanchun Deng, Xin Yang and Gangfeng Ouyang","doi":"10.1039/D4SC06339B","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p >Photocatalysis is a promising method for <em>in situ</em> water pollution remediation but faces challenges due to the limited natural light intensity. Herein, we achieved highly-efficient photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants even under ultra-low light intensities of only 0.1 mW cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small>. This was accomplished by developing and effectively stabilizing novel reactive species, oxygen-centered organic radicals (OCORs), which have an impressive half-life of up to seven minutes in water. With lifetimes that are 8 to 11 orders of magnitude longer than for traditional transient radicals, OCORs can effectively wait for pollutants to diffuse, enabling them to remove organic pollutants through polymerization and degradation pathways. The mechanism behind the stability of OCORs lies in the enhanced electron-withdrawing ability of the electron acceptor and the extended conjugation of the catalyst, which effectively prevent back electron transfer. This study provides a theoretical foundation for practical applications of photochemistry in pollution remediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":" 9","pages":" 3964-3977"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/sc/d4sc06339b?page=search","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Chemical Science","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/sc/d4sc06339b","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Photocatalysis is a promising method for in situ water pollution remediation but faces challenges due to the limited natural light intensity. Herein, we achieved highly-efficient photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants even under ultra-low light intensities of only 0.1 mW cm−2. This was accomplished by developing and effectively stabilizing novel reactive species, oxygen-centered organic radicals (OCORs), which have an impressive half-life of up to seven minutes in water. With lifetimes that are 8 to 11 orders of magnitude longer than for traditional transient radicals, OCORs can effectively wait for pollutants to diffuse, enabling them to remove organic pollutants through polymerization and degradation pathways. The mechanism behind the stability of OCORs lies in the enhanced electron-withdrawing ability of the electron acceptor and the extended conjugation of the catalyst, which effectively prevent back electron transfer. This study provides a theoretical foundation for practical applications of photochemistry in pollution remediation.
期刊介绍:
Chemical Science is a journal that encompasses various disciplines within the chemical sciences. Its scope includes publishing ground-breaking research with significant implications for its respective field, as well as appealing to a wider audience in related areas. To be considered for publication, articles must showcase innovative and original advances in their field of study and be presented in a manner that is understandable to scientists from diverse backgrounds. However, the journal generally does not publish highly specialized research.