Overturned doping inert Ce into mesoporous CuO for enhanced peroxydisulfate activation and bisphenols degradation

Transition metal oxides have been recently investigated as excellent catalyst for peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation, but suffers from slow redox cycle of metal species. In this work, a novel avenue for facilitating valence cycles of Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ was proposed by overturned doping inert Ce into mesoporous CuO. Increased formation of active sites (Cu-Ce interface) and oxygen vacancy was achieved, resulting in accelerated interfacial electron transfer and facilitated valence cycles of Cu²⁺/Cu⁺. The Ce-doped mesoporous CuO (CeCuO_x) exhibited greatly enhanced activity toward PDS activation and efficient removal of different bisphenols in a wide pH working range. The degradation of bisphenols followed a nonradical oxidation pathway based on electron transfer process (ETP), and CeCuO_x@PDS complex was proved to be the primary reactive species. The CeCuO_x/PDS system exhibited good stability and superior catalytic performance in complicated water matrix, and would be a promising catalyst for wastewater purification. This work provides a new prospect for boosting the redox behavior of metal active sites for environmental remediation.