Orchestrating Micron‐to‐Atomic Catalytic Hierarchies for Ozonation‐Based Water Purification: Bridging Dynamic Insights with Reactor Architectures and Implementation

Abstract Homogeneous ozone‐based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) enable pollutant degradation through direct oxidation or radical‐based pathways, inherent limitations persist particularly ozone's low aqueous solubility and intensive energy demands. This challenge is being redefined through catalyst engineering, where nanoscale systems demonstrate quantum‐enhanced efficiency governed by size‐dependent activation mechanisms. Atomic‐level catalysts leverage quantum confinement effects to optimize ozone activation pathways, whereas micron‐scale architectures balance catalytic activity with structural robustness for industrial scalability. Current research gaps center on the absence of reviews correlating size‐regulated catalytic architectures with performances/mechanisms in ozonation processes. This review systematically investigates how catalytic site dimensions govern reaction thermodynamics, analyzing electronic transfer kinetics and defect‐mediated dissociation mechanisms to establish structure–activity relationships. Through reactor‐scale case studies (catalytic columns/membranes), it evaluates technological scalability while incorporating techno‐economic and life‐cycle assessments to benchmark environmental/economic viability. The analysis advocates interdisciplinary convergence, merging computational catalysis, operando characterization, and systems engineering to address fundamental questions about size‐dependent active site evolution and practical challenges in real‐world implementation. By bridging molecular‐level insights with macroscopic reactor design principles, this work charts pathways for developing tunable, energy‐efficient ozonation platforms tailored to emerging contaminant landscapes.