An ultrafast and facile nondestructive strategy to convert various inefficient commercial nanocarbons to highly active Fenton-like catalysts

Abstract

Significance The Fenton-like process catalyzed by metal-free materials is one promising strategy for water purification, but to develop catalysts with adequate activity, complicated preparation/modification processes and harsh conditions are always needed, greatly increasing the costs for industrialization. Herein, we developed an ultrafast and facile strategy to convert various inefficient commercial nanocarbons into highly active catalysts by noncovalent functionalization with polyethylenimine (PEI). The n-doping by PEI could create net charge on the carbon plane and greatly enhance the electron mobility, rendering the catalyst much higher persulfate activation efficiency. Such interface engineering represents an innovative, simple, yet effective, strategy for boosting activities of nanocarbons, providing a conceptual advance to design cost-effective and highly efficient catalysts in environmental remediation, chemical synthesis, and fuel-cell applications.