Enhanced C–F Activation and Proton Supply over Al ₂ O ₃ -Embedded RuO _<i>x</i> Clusters Boost Perfluorocarbon Hydrolysis

The catalytic hydrolysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) holds significant potential for environmental remediation; however, the chemically inert C–F bond poses substantial challenges for achieving efficient low-temperature activity. Herein, we demonstrate that RuO x clusters embedded in mesoporous Al 2 O 3 nanosheet (RuO x /Al 2 O 3 ) catalysts achieved the complete decomposition of CF 4, one of the most chemically inert PFAS, at an unprecedented low temperature of 450 °C, outperforming all catalysts reported to date. The extraordinary CF 4 hydrolysis performance is attributed to synergistically enhanced C–F bond activation and proton supply. Specifically, the strong electronic interaction between RuO x clusters and Al 2 O 3 promotes the CF 4 adsorption and C–F cleavage on Al sites in RuO x /Al 2 O 3 . Furthermore, the Ru sites in RuO x /Al 2 O 3 promote H 2 O dissociation into *H and *OH, which enables the continuous regeneration of adjacent Al–OH groups and supplies sufficient protons for defluorination in the CF 4 hydrolysis reaction. This study paves the way for designing and developing highly efficient catalysts for low-temperature catalytic hydrolysis of PFAS.