Pollutant degradation via periodate (IO 4 − )-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) provides an economical, energy-efficient way for sustainable pollution control. Although single-atomic metal activation (SMA) can be exploited to optimize the pollution degradation process and understand the associated mechanisms governing IO 4 − -based AOPs, studies on this topic are rare. Herein, we demonstrated the first instance of using SMA for IO 4 − analysis by employing atomically dispersed Co active sites supported by N-doped graphene (N-rGO-CoSA) activators. N-rGO-CoSA efficiently activated IO 4 − for organic pollutant degradation over a wide pH range without producing radical species. The IO 4 − species underwent stoichiometric decomposition to generate the iodate (IO 3 − ) species. Whereas Co 2+ and Co 3 O 4 could not drive IO 4− activation; the Co−N coordination sites exhibited high activation efficiency. The conductive graphene matrix reduced the contaminants/electron transport distance/resistance for these oxidation reactions and boosted the activation capacity by working in conjunction with metal centers. The N-rGO-CoSA/IO 4 − system exhibited a substrate-dependent reactivity that was not caused by iodyl (IO 3• ) radicals. Electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the N-rGO-CoSA/IO 4 − system decomposed organic pollutants via electron-transfer-mediated nonradical processes, where N-rGO-CoSA/periodate* metastable complexes were the predominant oxidants, thereby opening a new avenue for designing efficient IO 4 − activators for the selective oxidation of organic pollutants.

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Piezocatalysis, the process of directly converting mechanical energy into chemical energy, has emerged as a promising alternative strategy for green H2 production. Nevertheless, conventional inorganic piezoelectric materials suffer from limited...

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