Phenylacetylene copper/1 T phase molybdenum disulfide heterojunction achieving efficient glyphosate-to-phosphate transformation via enhanced charge transfer and leveraging glyphosate-derived methanol analogs.

To achieve sustainable conversion of glyphosate (GLY) to high-value phosphate via visible-light photocatalysis, we proposed a novel photocatalytic strategy leveraging GLY-derived methanol analogs to enhance phosphate production. For photocatalyst design, phenylacetylene copper (PhC2Cu)/1 T-phase molybdenum disulfide (1 T-MoS2) heterojunction photocatalyst (PM5/1) was developed with enhanced photocatalytic properties. Central to its performance was the built-in electric field in PM5/1, which promoted photogenerated electron transfer from PhC2Cu to 1 T-MoS2, while hydroxyl radicals produced via the three-electron oxygen reduction (3e- ORR) process play a dominant role in mediating GLY conversion to phosphate. The 1 T-MoS2 component in PM5/1 further enhanced covalent coordination with GLY's phosphonate group, increasing degradation opportunities for this target moiety. Experiments confirmed that methanol analogs were originated from both GLY's phosphonate moiety and its toxic byproduct aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), acting as sacrificial agents to accelerate 3e- ORR process and promoting GLY-to-phosphate conversion. By building on this self-promoted mechanism where GLY's own degradation products drive its transformation, PM5/1 efficiently transformed both GLY and AMPA into phosphate in real GLY wastewater. This study provides a novel photocatalytic strategy for GLY wastewater green conversion to high-value phosphate while addressing the critical challenge of GLY and AMPA removal.