FRANKFURT. PFAS are, in many ways, remarkable molecules. Even a thin layer can repel water, oil, and dirt. They are also highly resistant to heat and UV light, which makes them ideal for coating breathable outdoor clothing, stain-resistant carpets, disposable tableware, irons, and non-stick pans. Industrially, PFAS are used as lubricants, surfactants, wetting agents, in chrome plating, and in fire-fighting foams. The list goes on – PFAS are nearly everywhere.

But these benefits come at a cost: because PFAS are so resilient, they persist in the environment long after their intended use. While they can be nearly completely destroyed in waste incineration plants, they may accumulate in the material cycle during recycling – including in textiles or sewage sludge – and then enter the environment. PFAS can be found in water, soil, plants, and even in the human body. This is particularly concerning because some of the approximately 4,700 known PFAS compounds are suspected to be carcinogenic or to cause other health issues.

The key to PFAS’ effectiveness – and their environmental persistence – lies in their extremely stable molecular structure, especially the carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds. Now, a team of chemists led by Professor Matthias Wagner at Goethe University’s Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry has developed a catalyst that can cleave these C–F bonds within seconds and at room temperature. The heart of the catalyst consists of two boron atoms, which have been embedded in a carbon framework in a manner that makes them resistant to air and moisture – a rare and highly practical property for boron compounds.

Christoph Buch, a doctoral researcher in Wagner’s group and first author of the study, explains: “To break C–F bonds, we need electrons, which our catalyst transfers with exceptional efficiency. So far, we’ve been using alkali metals like lithium as the electron source, but we’re already working on switching to electrical current instead. That would make the process both much simpler and more efficient.”
Beyond PFAS degradation, Wagner sees broader applications for the catalyst: “Many pharmacologically important substances contain fluorine atoms to increase their physiological stability and enhance their effect. Fluorine atoms can also improve drug uptake. With this catalyst, we now have a tool that allows us to precisely control the degree of fluorination in such compounds.”