Reinforcing Covalency via d–p–d Orbital Coupling Enables Dual-Site Selective Ozone Activation for Efficient CH <sub>3</sub> SH Mineralization
In catalytic ozonation systems, surface-adsorbed oxygen species (*O/*O<sub>2</sub>) have emerged as promising non-radical species. They exhibit high reactivity toward electron-rich pollutants and accelerate pre-oxidation via electron-transfer-driven mechanisms. However, their selective generation remains a critical challenge. Herein, we design an amorphous Co-Ni bimetallic oxide (Co<sub>0.5</sub>Ni<sub>0.5</sub>) with tailored Co(3d)-O(2p)-Ni(3d) orbital coupling, which synergistically enhances metal-oxygen covalency to optimize the bridge adsorption configuration of ozone molecules for efficient activation. The electron-rich Co sites, with optimized 3d e<sub>g</sub> orbital occupancy, facilitate π backdonation to ozone, weakening O-O bonds for selective *O formation, while electron-deficient Ni sites stabilize *O<sub>2</sub> intermediates via t<sub>2g</sub>-π* orbital interactions. This dual-site synergy enables 100% CH<sub>3</sub>SH mineralization at 600 000 mL h<sup>-1</sup> g<sup>-1</sup> with 24 h stability. It also sustains >95% CH<sub>3</sub>SH removal over 12 h under 75% relative humidity (attributed to weak H<sub>2</sub>O adsorption and enhanced hydrophobicity) while resisting sulfur poisoning through balanced Lewis acidity and high surface -OH density. Through <i>in situ</i> spectroscopy and theoretical simulations, we demonstrate that d-p-d orbital hybridization governs both oxygen speciation and interfacial electron transfer kinetics. Our work establishes orbital-level engineering of bimetallic oxides as a universal strategy for sustainable volatile organic compound remediation.
Authors
- Mengliang Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5564-5943)
- Shulin Zuo
- Muke Lin
- Dehua Xia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6016-358X)
- Rumeng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2506-2537)
- Ji Mei
- Jiahao Huang
Institutions
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- Key Laboratory of Guangdong Province (CN)
- Guangdong Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Published
- 2025-11-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c11499
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.07