Spontaneous Generation\nof Reactive Oxygen Species\nvia Molecular Oxygen Activation over a Defect-Rich and Boron-Doped\nMoS<sub>2</sub> Catalyst for an Advanced Oxidation Process

With the proposal of a low carbon strategy, spontaneous\ngeneration\nof reactive oxygen species (ROS) via O<sub>2</sub> activation under\nmild ambient conditions is considered an environmentally friendly\nand cost-effective technology for an advanced oxidation process. Herein,\na novel O<sub>2</sub> activation system based on a defect-rich and\nboron-doped MoS<sub>2</sub> catalyst (B-MoS<sub>2–<i>x</i></sub>) was constructed for organics degradation without the addition\nof oxidants and energy consumption. This system enabled electron transfer\nfrom organic pollutants to O<sub>2</sub> under the effect of an interfacial\nmicroelectric field, exhibiting high catalytic activity and stability.\nEven after five-cycle use, the decrease in organics degradation efficiency\nin the B-MoS<sub>2–<i>x</i></sub>/air system is less\nthan 5%. The long-term RhB elimination experiment is conducted in\na homemade continuous-flow membrane-based reactor, which demonstrated\nthat the B-MoS<sub>2–<i>x</i></sub>/air system can\nbe operated continuously and steadily for 48 h. Due to the difference\nof adsorption energy, O<sub>2</sub> and organics were, respectively,\nadsorbed on S defect and B, further facilitating activation of O<sub>2</sub> to ROS for organics degradation. Additionally, the turnover\nfrequency of O<sub>2</sub><sup>·–</sup> production over\nB-MoS<sub>2–<i>x</i></sub> reaches 2.93 h<sup>–1</sup>, and the biotoxicity of the pollutants is decreased obviously in\nthe B-MoS<sub>2–<i>x</i></sub>/air system. This work\nprovided a new idea to promote the research of the microelectric field\nfor O<sub>2</sub> activation to ROS.