Fenton chemistry rising star: Iron oxychloride

The pursuit of efficient catalysts is a hot topic of great concerning in the Fenton process. Iron oxychloride (FeOCl) is a kind of ternary layered compound with van der Waals gap weakly linked by neighboring Cl atoms. The peculiar configuration of surface-exposed Fe atoms and the reducible electronic features endow FeOCl with remarkable catalytic reactivity for the activation of H₂O₂. Thereby, FeOCl is deemed as an exceptional heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst. Due to the drawbacks of inevitably iron leaching, lack of active sites, and slow reduction rate of Fe (III) in the FeOCl-mediated Fenton-like reactions, numerous efforts have been made to achieve more satisfactory catalytic performance and extend its application scope. The article briefly introduces the structure and synthesis of FeOCl and elucidates the mechanisms for catalytic H₂O₂ activation. Subsequently, the strategies to strengthen the catalytic performance of FeOCl and related applications are summarized. At length, future research needs of FeOCl-based catalysts are provided, expecting to offer valuable information for the development of FeOCl in Fenton chemistry.