Highly efficient catalytic Fenton-Like reactions of bimetallic Fe/Cu chelated on radiation functionalized nonwoven fabric for pollutant control

Xuanzhi Mao; Maojiang Zhang; Minglei Wang; Heng Lei; Chunlei Dong; Rongfang Shen; Hao Zhang; Chaorong Chen; Jiangtao Hu; Guozhong Wu

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133752

Highly efficient catalytic Fenton-Like reactions of bimetallic Fe/Cu chelated on radiation functionalized nonwoven fabric for pollutant control

J Hazard Mater. 2024 Apr 5:467:133752. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133752. Epub 2024 Feb 9.

Authors

Xuanzhi Mao¹, Maojiang Zhang², Minglei Wang³, Heng Lei⁴, Chunlei Dong⁵, Rongfang Shen⁶, Hao Zhang⁷, Chaorong Chen⁸, Jiangtao Hu⁹, Guozhong Wu¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2019 Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201800, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
² College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Chizhou University, Chizhou, Anhui 247000, PR China.
³ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2019 Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201800, PR China; Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8093, Switzerland. Electronic address: wangminglei@sinap.ac.cn.
⁴ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2019 Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201800, PR China; School of Physical Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai 200031, PR China.
⁵ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2019 Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201800, PR China; College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Chizhou University, Chizhou, Anhui 247000, PR China.
⁶ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2019 Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201800, PR China.
⁷ Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, RP China.
⁸ Department of Environment, College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, PR China.
⁹ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2019 Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201800, PR China. Electronic address: hujiangtao@sinap.ac.cn.
¹⁰ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2019 Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201800, PR China; School of Physical Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai 200031, PR China. Electronic address: wuguozhong@sinap.ac.cn.

PMID: 38350320
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133752

Abstract

A remarkably efficient and affordable Fe/Cu bimetallic catalyst featuring a substantial light energy utilization and compatibility with a sizable substrate was developed for Fenton-like reactions aimed at pollutant control. Specifically, a novel strategy was employed to synthesize high-density metal sites (Fe:Cu ≈ 3:1) robustly embedded on polyethylene/polyethylene terephthalate nonwoven fabric (PE/PET NWF) via radiation-induced graft polymerization (RIGP) and subsequent chemical modification, labeled as Fe/Cu-PPAO. Its high effectiveness was demonstrated by degrading 50 mg/L of tetracycline hydrochloride within 30 min in the presence of H₂O₂ under simulate sunlight irradiation. It was investigated that amidoxime groups regulated the optical gaps and HOMO-LUMO gaps of metal ions to enable the absorption of a broader spectrum light while the Cu²⁺ facilitated the transfer of electrons between the bimetal ions to achieve an improved reaction path. Furthermore, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations further revealed its special complex state and delicate electronic structure between bimetal ions and amidoxime groups. Our study offers a new strategy to synthesize high-density bimetallic sites catalyst for environmental remediation and pushes forward insight into understanding the catalytic mechanism of bimetallic Fenton-like catalysts.

Keywords: Bimetallic catalysts; Catalytic mechanism; Fenton-like reaction; High-density active sites; Radiation-induced graft polymerization.