Water pollution in natural aquatic environments often involves a complex mixture of contaminants, ranging from bulk organic pollutants to trace high-risk species such as pathogens and antibiotics. Achieving broad-spectrum purification while selectively removing these priority contaminants remains a longstanding challenge for in situ water remediation technologies.

According to a new study published in Nature Water, researchers led by Prof. SHENG Hua from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new strategy for solar-driven in situ water remediation.

The researchers designed a dynamic heterogeneous–homogeneous photocatalytic system by constructing a photoresponsive copper anchoring interface on UiO-66-NH₂ metal–organic frameworks, overcoming a key limitation of conventional photocatalysis—its relatively low efficiency in generating reactive oxygen species, particularly in complex natural water environments.

Upon light irradiation, the anchored Cu²⁺ ions are reversibly released to form highly reactive copper species that facilitate multi-electron oxygen activation, boosting hydroxyl radical production by nearly two orders of magnitude.

At the same time, the regenerated copper ions exhibit strong affinity toward high-risk contaminants, including pathogens and antibiotics, enabling simultaneous broad-spectrum pollutant removal and selective elimination of priority pollutants.

To evaluate the technology under realistic conditions, the researchers further integrated the catalyst into a floating platform capable of directly utilizing sunlight and atmospheric oxygen. During a 28-day outdoor remediation test using real lake water, the system achieved efficient pollutant removal and disinfection while maintaining excellent operational stability and negligible copper leaching.

The platform can also be integrated with ecological floating islands, offering a promising approach to the sustainable, low-energy remediation of open water environments in situ.

The study presents a dynamic heterogeneous–homogeneous coupling strategy for efficient oxygen activation, offering new opportunities for developing solar-powered environmental remediation technologies under real-world conditions.