Activation of periodate by multi-layered V₂CT_x MXene for oxidative degradation of selected contaminants of emerging

This study investigates the catalytic performance of multi-layered vanadium carbide (V₂CT_x) MXenes (ML-V₂C) when coupled with periodate (PI) for the oxidative degradation of 10 selected emerging organic contaminants. The ML-V₂C/PI system effectively degraded over 90 % of naproxen (NPX) (10 μM initial) within 60 min. Notably, the combination of ML-V₂C and PI showed a remarkable synergistic effect, achieving a reaction rate 22.1 times faster than the combined rates of the sole injecting conditions of each component. Mechanistic investigations, employing probe compounds and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, confirmed that the degradation proceeds via a radical-based mechanism, specifically driven by the generation of hydroxyl radicals. The influences of the major water constituents (e.g., chloride, bicarbonate, and humic acid) and the initial pH on NPX degradation were further examined. The reusability of the catalyst was also assessed, revealing a gradual reaction suppression over five cycles through a material property comparison. In addition, oxidative reaction pathways for NPX and the formation of its intermediates were proposed. These results demonstrate that the use of MXenes as novel PI activators could be an option for the oxidative treatment of emerging micropollutants.