Polyoxometalate/chitosan–electrochemically reduced graphene oxide as effective mediating systems for electrocatalytic reduction of persulfate

Mechanochemically synthesized silicotungsten acidified ZVI composite for persulfate activation: Enhancement of the electron transfer and Fe slowly release mechanism

Zero-valent iron (ZVI) is a promising technology for groundwater treatment, and its efficiency primarily depends on the electron transfer. However, there are still some problems such as low electron efficiency of ZVI particles and high yield of iron sludge that limits the performance, which warrant further investigation. In our study, a silicotungsten acidified ZVI composite (m-WZVI) was synthesized by ball milling to activate PS to degrade phenol. m-WZVI has a better performance on phenol degradation (with a removal rate of 91.82%) than ball mill ZVI(m-ZVI) with persulfate (PS) (with a removal rate of 59.37%). Compared with m-ZVI, the first-order kinetic constant (k_obs) of m-WZVI/PS is 2-3 times higher than that of the others. Iron ion was gradually leached in m-WZVI/PS system, being only 2.11 mg/L after 30 min, having to avoid excessive consumption of active substances. The underlying mechanisms of m-WZVI for PS activation mainly include: 1) were elucidated through different characterizations analyses that accounted for silictungstic acid (STA) can be combined with ZVI, and a new electron donor (SiW₁₂^4-) was obtained, which improved the transfer rate performance of electrons for activating PS; 2) singlet oxygen (¹O₂) is the main active substance for phenol degradation, but other radicals also played an important role. Therefore, m-WZVI has good prospects for improving the electron utilization of ZVI.

Fabrication of a polyoxotungstate/metal-organic framework/phosphorus-doped reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid modified glassy carbon electrode by electrochemical reduction and its electrochemical properties

Hybrid nanocomposites based on polyoxometalates (POMs), metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and graphene oxide (GO) have a unique set of properties. They have specific properties such as high acidity, oxygen-rich surface, and good redox capability from POMs. In contrast, they do not have weaknesses of POMs such as a low surface area, and high solubility in aqueous media. Herein, a novel organic–inorganic nanohybrid compound based on H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ (PW₁₂), a Co-based MOF, and GO was prepared. The prepared hybrid nanocomposite (PW₁₂/MOF/GO) was characterized using different techniques. Then, a PW₁₂/MOF/GO nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was fabricated by the drop-casting method and next was dried at room temperature. Then, the PW₁₂/MOF/GO/GCE was subjected to electrochemical reduction at a constant potential of −1.5 V, in 0.1 M H₃PO₄ solution containing 0.10% w/v PW₁₂/MOF/GO additive. The morphology, electrochemical activity, and stability of the modified electrode (PW₁₂/MOF/P@ERGO/GCE) were studied with FE-SEM coupled with EDS, CV, and amperometry. The obtained results confirmed that the PW₁₂/MOF/P@ERGO/GCE could be effective in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The electrochemical activity of the PW₁₂/MOF/P@ERGO/GCE due to the desirable microstructure of the electrocatalyst (e.g. high active surface area and homogeneous distribution of the PW₁₂/MOF/P@ERGO), and also the synergistic effect of the blocks, is more than those of PW₁₂/GCE, MOF/GCE, PW₁₂/MOF/GCE, and P@ERGO/GCE. Moreover, the PW₁₂/MOF/P@ERGO/GCE showed an excellent long-term stability under the air atmosphere.

Fabrication of a modified glassy carbon electrode based on a polyoxotungstate/metal–organic framework/phosphorus-doped reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid.

A novel chitosan-urea encapsulated material for persulfate slow-release to degrade organic pollutants

A novel eco-friendly material (CS-U@PS) for persulfate slow-release to effectively degrade organic pollutants (methyl orange and pyrene) was synthesized using chitosan and urea as the encapsulated framework materials via an emulsion cross-linking method for the first time. The obtained CS-U@PS exhibits spherical shapes with a uniform size of approximately 2-3 µm according to the particle-size distribution and SEM image results. The slow-release mechanism was proposed through a kinetics model study and the Ritger-Peppas model fit well (r² = 0.9699) to indicate that the slow-release process is non-Fickian diffusion. The influences of urea and PS dosages and oxidative conditions on methyl orange degradation were studied, and all the results suggested that urea played an important role in PS slow-release and can also catalyze the activation of PS by iron to further produce radicals and improve the removal efficiency of pollutants. A pyrene removal rate of 90.53% was achieved in aqueous solutions and an above 80% removal rate was obtained in weakly acidic or neutral soil environments by CS-U@PS activated by Fe²⁺ with citric acid as the chelating agent. Therefore, the fabricated slow-release oxidation materials exhibit application potential for the remediation of organic polluted groundwater and soil.

Polyoxometalate Functionalized Sensors: A Review

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are a class of metal oxide complexes with a large structural diversity. Effective control of the final chemical and physical properties of POMs could be provided by fine-tuning chemical modifications, such as the inclusion of other metals or non-metal ions. In addition, the nature and type of the counterion can also impact POM properties, like solubility. Besides, POMs may combine with carbon materials as graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide or carbon nanotubes to enhance electronic conductivity, with noble metal nanoparticles to increase catalytic and functional sites, be introduced into metal-organic frameworks to increase surface area and expose more active sites, and embedded into conducting polymers. The possibility to design POMs to match properties adequate for specific sensing applications turns them into highly desirable chemicals for sensor sensitive layers. This review intends to provide an overview of POM structures used in sensors (electrochemical, optical, and piezoelectric), highlighting their main functional features. Furthermore, this review aims to summarize the reported applications of POMs in sensors for detecting and determining analytes in different matrices, many of them with biochemical and clinical relevance, along with analytical figures of merit and main virtues and problems of such devices. Special emphasis is given to the stability of POMs sensitive layers, detection limits, selectivity, the pH working range and throughput.

Polyoxometalates in Analytical Sciences

Polyoxometalates (POMs) have been used for spectrophotometric determinations of silicon and phosphorus under acidic conditions, referred to as the molybdenum yellow method and molybdenum blue method, respectively. Many POMs are redox active and exhibit fascinating but complicated voltammetric responses. These compounds can reversibly accommodate and release many electrons without exhibiting structural changes, implying that POMs can function as excellent mediators and can be applied to sensitive determination methods based on catalytic electrochemical reactions. In addition, some rare-earth-metal-incorporated POMs exhibit fluorescence, which enables sensitive determination by the enhancement and quenching of fluorescence intensities. In this review, various analytical applications of POMs are introduced, mainly focusing on papers published after 2000, except for the molybdenum yellow method and molybdenum blue method.

Electrochemical investigation and amperometry determination iodate based on ionic liquid/polyoxotungstate/P-doped electrochemically reduced graphene oxide multi-component nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode

A novel modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was successfully fabricated with a tetra-component nanocomposite consisting of (1,1′-(1,4-butanediyl)dipyridinium) ionic liquid (bdpy), SiW₁₁O₃₉Ni(H₂O) (SiW₁₁Ni) Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM), and phosphorus-doped electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (P-ERGO) by electrodeposition technique. The (bdpy)SiW₁₁Ni/GO hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method and characterized by UV-vis absorption, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology, electrochemical performance, and electrocatalysis activity of the nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode ((bdpy)SiW₁₁Ni/P-ERGO/GCE) were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and amperometry, respectively. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the as-prepared sensor showed high sensitivity of 28.1 μA mM⁻¹ and good selectivity for iodate (IO₃⁻) reduction, enabling the detection of IO₃⁻ within a linear range of 10–1600 μmol L⁻¹ (R² = 0.9999) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.47 nmol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The proposed electrochemical sensor exhibited good reproducibility, and repeatability, high stability, and excellent anti-interference ability, as well as analytical performance in mineral water, tap water, and commercial edible iodized salt which might provide a capable platform for the determination of IO₃⁻.

Constructing a sensitive electrochemical sensor based on (bdpy)SiW₁₁Ni/P-ERGO/GCE for IO₃⁻ detection at the nanomolar level with noticeable selectivity.

Polyoxometalate-based composite materials in electrochemistry: state-of-the-art progress and future outlook

Polyoxometalates (POMs) have been developed as a class of promising smart material candidates not only due to their multitudinous architectures but also their good redox activities and outstanding electron and proton transport capacities. Recently, abundant studies on POMs composited with metal nanoparticles (NPs), carbon materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon quantum dots (CQDs), graphene), and conducting polymers or highly-porous framework materials (e.g., MOFs, ZIFs) have been performed and POM-based composite materials (PCMs) undoubtedly show enhanced stability and improved electrochemical performances. Therefore, POMs and PCMs are of increasing interest in electrocatalysis, electrochemical detection and energy-related fields (such as fuel cells, redox flow batteries and so on), thus, developing novel PCMs has long been the key research topic in POM chemistry. This review mainly summarizes some representative advances in PCMs with electrochemical applications in the past ten years, expecting to provide some useful guidance for future research.

Selective electrochemical detection of dopamine in the presence of uric acid and ascorbic acid based on a composite film modified electrode

An electrochemical dopamine sensor based on vanadium-substituted polyoxometalates, copper oxide and chitosan–palladium was fabricated by the LBL technique.