Structure–Function Correlations of Carbonaceous Materials for Persulfate-Based Advanced Oxidation

Carbonaceous materials (CMs), as high-efficiency activators in a persulfate-based advanced oxidation process (PS-AOP), are attracting increasing attention for environmental remediation due to their high efficiency, low toxicity, and environmental friendliness. The correlations between the structural and surface properties of carbonaceous materials and the catalytic reaction efficiency in PS-AOP have been focused on experimentally and theoretically. In this Perspective, we discuss the effect of the microstructure of carbonaceous materials on the catalytic reaction efficiency, which can depend on the reaction pathways, including adsorption, free-radical routines, and non-free-radical pathways. Various features of carbonaceous materials, covering the dimensionality, pristine carbon configuration, crystallinity, defects, porosity, chemically active groups, and heterogeneous doping, can be involved. Those characteristics mainly affect the electronic process and mass transfer during the whole PS-AOP. An important target in the field is how to rationally regulate the intrinsic properties of carbonaceous substances to control both the reaction pathways and catalytic efficiency. Therefore, we conclude with a critical discussion and presentation of future challenges.