Deok Hoon Kim, Yunkyu Kwak, Sang Goo Lee, Ju Hyeon Kim, Hong Suk Kang
ABSTRACT Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), notably perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are persistent pollutants posing health risks via bioaccumulation and water mobility. While TiO 2 photocatalysis for PFOA degradation is well‐reported, efficiency falters in dilute environments due to weak adsorption and rapid charge recombination. This study presents a novel hybrid approach with surface‐modified TiO 2 designed to enhance PFOA adsorption while enabling simultaneous degradation. Fluorine‐doped TiO 2 (F‐TiO 2 ) was synthesized through cost‐effective, one‐step PVDF pyrolysis, promoting nanopores and hydrophobic interactions for PFOA enrichment alongside improved charge separation. UV–vis spectroscopy and UVC tests (254 nm, 1.59 mW/cm 2 ) with sodium persulfate showed F‐TiO 2 achieving ~92% PFOA removal at 700 mg/L (vs. ~58% for pristine TiO 2 ), with nine‐fold faster kinetics (rate constant: 0.217 h −1 vs. 0.024 h −1 ; half‐life: ~3.2 h vs. ~28 h). IC analysis confirmed partial PFOA mineralization, with ~25 ppm F − detected after 16 h UV irradiation, indicating significant defluorination. Unlike noble‐metal or graphene variants, F‐TiO 2 exploits fluorine for adsorption‐photocatalysis synergy, providing an economical, scalable PFAS remediation in low‐concentration waters. image