Constructing Oxygen Vacancies in MOF‐Derived Co ₃ O ₄ via NaBH ₄ Reduction for Highly Efficient Activation of Peroxymonosulfate and Antibiotic Removal

ABSTRACT The persistence and environmental hazards of antibiotic residues make the efficient removal of such pollutants from aquatic environments critically important. However, metal–organic framework (MOF) catalysts often face challenges in practical applications, such as poor structural stability and easy leaching of metal ions. In this study, using Co‐MOF as a precursor, Co 3 O 4 ‐based catalysts rich in different concentrations of oxygen vacancies were successfully prepared through pyrolysis combined with sodium borohydride reduction and were employed for the efficient activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to rapidly degrade oxytetracycline (OTC). The catalyst possessed excellent reaction kinetics, enabling rapid PMS activation and efficient OTC degradation. Radical quenching experiments and EPR analysis revealed that the degradation process follows a synergistic radical and nonradical mechanism, in which 1 O 2 and SO 4 • − play dominant roles. Furthermore, possible degradation pathways of OTC were proposed, and the ecotoxicity of its transformation products was evaluated. The results suggest that most intermediates have lower predicted toxicity than the parent compound. The catalyst also demonstrated good degradation performance and applicability in real water samples and for various pollutants. This study provides a new strategy to address the structural instability of MOF powder materials in catalytic applications.