Confined Irradiation Vacuum Ultraviolet Abatement Technique for Perfluorinated Compounds

Confined Irradiation Vacuum Ultraviolet Abatement Technique for Perfluorinated Compounds | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Confined Irradiation Vacuum Ultraviolet Abatement Technique for Perfluorinated Compounds Wenjun Sun, Yanei Xue, Wentao Li, Guoqing Jiang, Ranlong Xu, Yuanna Zhang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6998262/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study introduces a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, 100–200 nm) confined irradiation (CI) technology designed to achieve complete mineralization (and defluorination) of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) without the use of chemical or nanomaterial additives. The CI system generates a concentrated energy field through a quasi-collimated VUV beam that is thermally isolated from the external environment, with the reaction solution maintained at a millimeter-scale height (9–15 mm). This configuration mitigates both self- and mutual-quenching of photons and free radicals (FRs), thereby enhancing overall reactivity. The high-yield generation of oxidizing FRs enabled a novel degradation pathway for the complete mineralization of ten PFAS compounds by promoting product ketonization and inhibiting molecular polymerization. The proposed CI mechanism aligns with the well-documented reconstruction of species/energy behavior in nano-confined catalysis. However, unlike nanoconfinement, CI regulates the reaction zone at a fixed scale rather than compressing it to nanometer or sub-nanometer precision. By ensuring geometric alignment between the confined irradiation zone and reaction intermediates, the CI system stabilizes specific reaction pathways, enabling complex chain reactions to proceed efficiently within a single reactor environment. Its capacity to suppress side reactions presents significant potential for enhancing H2O2 production and the synthesis of heavy olefins. Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Freshwater ecology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.docx Confined Irradiation Vacuum Ultraviolet Abatement Technique for Perfluorinated Compounds Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6998262","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":481850769,"identity":"a5ff3d84-f340-4c79-aa81-cb98645a3357","order_by":0,"name":"Wenjun 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