Bisphenol-S (BPS) is a widespread toxic industrial pollutant and endocrine disruptor of growing environmental concern. This study investigates the use of porous nanoceria particles (CeO2) functionalized with octahedral molybdenum clusters (Mo6) for the removal of waterborne BPS through a combined mechanism of reactive adsorption and photodegradation. Although immobilization of Mo6 cluster reduced the overall surface area of CeO2, BPS adsorption and partial decomposition in the dark were enhanced due to chemical specificity and surface interactions introduced by the Mo6 clusters. Upon UV-A irradiation, quenching of the phosphorescence of the clusters indicated photoinduced electron transfer from Mo6 to CeO2, which facilitated hydroxyl radical generation and improved BPS photocatalytic degradation. Unlike bare nanoceria, the Mo6@CeO2 composite initially retained the intermediate 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid formed in the dark, but subsequently released it, along with phenol and other degradation products, under light. This controlled photodesorption was coupled with stable performance over multiple degradation cycles. Under simulated solar irradiation, the composite achieved a 3-fold increase in BPS removal efficiency compared to bare nanoceria. These findings highlight the synergistic interplay between Mo6 clusters and nanoceria and reflects the potential of this composite material for effective water remediation.

Department of Applied Chemistry Faculty of Science and Engineering Waseda University 3 4 1 Okubo Shinjuku ku Tokyo 169 8555 Japan

Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences Husinec Řež 250 68 Czech Republic

Kagami Memorial Institute for Materials Science and Technology Waseda University 2 8 26 Nishiwaseda Shinjuku ku Tokyo 169 0051 Japan

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