Photocatalytic defluorination of perfluoroalkyl substances by surface-engineered ZnO nanocrystals.

ABSTRACT: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used due to their exceptional chemical stability. However, this also causes severe environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and recycling challenges, making PFAS contamination a global issue. Conventional defluorination methods require excessive energy, limiting practical application. Therefore, developing an energy-efficient approach under ambient conditions is crucial for mitigating environmental risks and enabling fluorine material recycling. Here, we demonstrate that zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals (NCs) capped with specific ligands can efficiently defluorinate perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), which is one of the most stable PFASs, by irradiation of near UV light under ambient conditions. While NCs capped with mercaptopropionic acid ach

SUBMITTER: Kanao S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12587177 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature