Donor−acceptor catalysis with defective MoS2 and Fe0 breaks barriers to perchlorate reduction under mild conditions
摘要
Perchlorate (ClO4−) contamination in water poses global health risks, yet its efficient reduction to harmless Cl− under mild conditions remains challenging. Here, we report a donor−acceptor catalytic system comprising defective MoS2 on N-doped carbon (MoS2−NC) coupled with zerovalent iron (Fe0), which enables rapid ClO4− reduction at near-neutral pH (rate constant, 2.36 h−1), yielding Cl− as the sole product. In the MoS2−NC/Fe0 system, Fe0 acts as the electron donor, while undercoordinated Mo atoms in defective MoS2 serve as the active sites, and N-doped carbon mediates electron transfer and optimizes the electronic environment for ClO4− reduction. The reduction proceeds via oxygen atom transfer, involving Cl−O bond cleavage, O binding to Mo sites, and hydrodeoxygenation of the Mo-bound O atoms. Our observations offer a practical strategy for ClO4− reduction without harsh conditions or noble metals and underscore the promise of donor−acceptor-based, defect-engineered catalysts for reductive transformation of challenging oxyanions.