Facile Preparation of CoFeAl‐Layered Double Oxide for Efficient Peroxymonosulfate Activation Towards Ciprofloxacin Degradation: Performance and Mechanism Study

ABSTRACT

The persistence of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in aquatic environments has raised growing environmental concerns. Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation offers an effective route for the degradation of antibiotic pollutants. Layered double hydroxide (LDH) is a promising PMS activator, but conventional LDH suffers from active site loss and low‐valent metal deactivation, limiting its practical application. A CoFeAl‐LDH precursor was constructed through hydrothermal synthesis and subsequently transformed into CoFeAl‐layered double oxide (CoFeAl‐LDO) through controlled calcination. The resulting CoFeAl‐LDO exhibited excellent catalytic performance for PMS activation, achieving rapid CIP degradation under optimized conditions. Calcination induced the formation of a porous layered structure with enlarged specific surface area, providing abundant active sites for PMS activation. Moreover, the synergistic Fe‐Co redox cycle accelerated electron transfer and enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation during PMS activation. Mechanistic studies revealed that electron transfer dominated PMS activation, accompanied by hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and sulfate radicals (), which synergistically drove CIP mineralization. Notably, the optimal sample, LDO‐1‐500, maintained exceptional activity in real water samples and resisted anionic interference, achieving complete CIP degradation within 15 min. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of multimetallic LDO catalysts in PMS‐based antibiotic removal and offer a promising strategy for water purification applications