@article{Zhou2026, 
author = {Zeren Zhou and Ruijiang Chen and Hanze Zhu and Yongming Hu and Najun Li and Wanping Chen},
title = {Tribocatalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate by TiO2 nanoparticles for powerful degradation of organic pollutants},
year = {2026},
journal = {Journal of Advanced Ceramics},
volume = {15},
number = {2},
pages = {9221237},
keywords = {TiO2, dye degradation, wastewater, peroxymonosulfate, tribocatalysis},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/JAC.2025.9221237},
doi = {10.26599/JAC.2025.9221237},
abstract = {Sulfate radical (SO4·−)-based advanced oxidation processes have received increasing interest for the treatment of organic wastewater, and various methods are being intensively investigated to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) or peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to generate SO4·−. Presently, we have explored the activation of PMS via tribocatalysis for the first time. In glass beakers with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) disks coated on the bottoms, solutions of organic pollutants suspended with TiO2 nanoparticles were subjected to magnetic stirring to realize tribocatalytic degradation. To our great surprise, the addition of 200 mg/L PMS was found to greatly enhance the tribocatalytic degradation of 50 mg/L rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), and methyl orange (MO) solutions and 20 mg/L bisphenol A (BPA) and phenol solutions, which were all degraded rather thoroughly in quite short periods of time, and their total organic carbon removals were substantially improved. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses showed that the addition of PMS not only led to the formation of SO4·− but also dramatically increased the amount of ·OH, O2·−, and 1O2 when TiO2 nanoparticles were stimulated through magnetic stirring. It is proposed that electron–hole pairs are excited in TiO2 nanoparticles by mechanical energy absorbed through friction, which react with PMS to generate SO4·− and other radicals. These findings demonstrate an energy-efficient paradigm for PMS activation, and many more studies on tribocatalytic activation of PDS/PMS are highly desirable.}
}