MOF‐Derived Hollow CoFe@NC Nanocages for Highly Efficient Degradation of Textile Fibers

Abstract

ABSTRACT The accelerated accumulation of synthetic textile fibers, particularly 100% polyester (PET), poses a persistent environmental challenge due to their chemical inertness and resistance to degradation. Herein, hollow CoFe@NC nanocages were synthesized through a cyanometalate‐assisted transformation of ZIF‐67 nanocubes followed by reductive calcination, producing metallic CoFe alloy domains confined within an N‐doped graphitic carbon framework. The optimized CoFe@NC‐600 catalyst exhibited a hollow architecture, abundant accessible active sites, and strong metal–carbon interfacial coupling for efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Under visible‐light irradiation, the CoFe@NC‐600/PMS system achieved 99.2% degradation efficiency toward real PET textile substrates, confirmed by gravimetric analysis, total organic carbon (TOC) measurement, and degradation product identification. Beyond conventional semiconductor photocatalysis, this work demonstrates that metallic alloy–carbon interfaces can efficiently utilize visible light through coupled photothermal conversion, interfacial electronic activation and CoFe redox mediation to drive PMS oxidation. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), radical quenching experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the CoFe/N‐doped carbon interface facilitates PMS adsorption, electron transfer and O─O bond activation, promoting the generation of radical and nonradical reactive species. This study provides new insights into metal–carbon hybrid catalysts for advanced oxidation processes and offers a sustainable approach for the remediation of persistent polymer wastes.