Au nanoparticles assembled on palygorskite: Enhanced catalytic property and Au–Au2O3 coexistence

Hydride generation-smartphone RGB readout and visual colorimetric dual-mode system for the detection of inorganic arsenic in water samples and honeys

A miniaturized/portable dual-mode colorimetric analytical system was established for inorganic arsenic determination in honey and drinking water samples. Hydride generation (HG) was utilized as a sampling technique for this colorimetric system, because of its high generation efficiency and efficient matrix separation. AsH₃ was generated via HG and then reacted with HAuCl₄, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were formed on the paper sheet, leading the paper color changed from light yellow to dark blue, it could be readout by naked-eye (visual colorimetric mode) and a smartphone (RGB readout mode) simultaneously. The accuracy and potential application for field analysis were further confirmed by the analysis of two water samples, four honey samples and two certified reference water samples (BWB2440-2016 and GBW08650), good recoveries (90-116%) were obtained for those samples and their spiked samples.

Palygorskite modified with N-doped carbon for sensitive determination of lead(II) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was coated with N-doped carbon-modified palygorskite and used as an electrochemical sensor for determination of Pb(II) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. To obtain high reproducibility and sensitivity, optimum experimental conditions for lead deposition are studied. Voltammetric responses of the modified GCE prepared with different ratios of carbon and palygorskite are examined under same conditions. Compared with a bare GCE, a N-doped carbon modified/GCE and a bismuth-modified GCE, N-doped carbon-modified palygorskite greatly improves the performance of GCE. Response is the best and the interfacial impedance is minimized if the fraction of carbon coating is 31%. This indicates that its performance is due to the synergies between palygorskite and N-doped carbon. Figures of merit for the modified GCE include (a) a preconcentration time of 180 s, (b) a detection limit of 0.42 μg·L^-1 (2σ criterion), and (c) a linear response in the 4.0 μg·L^-1 to 10.0 mg·L^-1 Pb(II) concentration range. The method is successfully applied to the determination of Pb(II) in spiked tape water and gives recoveries between 97.1 and 104.3%. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of different adsorption sites of Pb(II) and the optimal carbon content. The wide detection range is attributed to the synergetic effect of N-doped carbon modified palygorskite.

Polyaniline/attapulgite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for the rival removal of azo dyes in aqueous solution

In this paper, polyaniline/attapulgite (PANI/APT)-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) composites were synthesized by liquid-phase chemical reduction method and used for the removal of two kinds of dyes. The structure of as-prepared nZVI/PANI/APT was characterized by various test methods. The removal property and degradation mechanism for azo (alizarin yellow R, methyl red, chrome black T, methyl orange) and non-azo (methylene blue, rhodamine B) dyes in aqueous solution were investigated. The presence of PANI/APT can decrease the aggregation of nZVI particles with maintenance of reactivity and improving adsorption capacity for degradation azo dye. The experiment results showed that the removal property of the composite materials on azo dyes is obviously better than that on non-azo dyes. The varying removal efficiencies of dyes depend on the different degradation mechanisms. Azo dyes removal by nZVI/PANI/APT was mainly due to the reductive cleavage of the N = N of nZVI, while non-azo dyes removal mainly contributes to the adsorption of PANI/APT. The study demonstrated that nZVI/PANI/APT has potential applications for the removal of azo dyes from wastewaters.

Preparation and Enhanced Catalytic Hydrogenation Activity of Sb/Palygorskite (PAL) Nanoparticles

A Sb/palygorskite (PAL) composite was synthesized by a facile solvothermal process and applied in catalytic hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol for the first time. It was found that the Sb nanoparticles with the sizes of 2-5 nm were well dispersed on the fiber of PAL, while partial aggregated Sb nanoparticles with sizes smaller than 200 nm were also loaded on the PAL. The Sb/PAL composite with 9.7% Sb mass amounts showed outstanding catalytic performance by raising the p-nitrophenol conversion rate to 88.3% within 5 min, which was attributed to the synergistical effect of Sb and PAL nanoparticles facilitating the adsorption and catalytic hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol.

Pd modified kaolinite nanocomposite as a hydrogenation catalyst

Natural kaolinite nanorod without surface modification served as a mild and outstanding stabilizer for supporting Pd nanoparticles.

Iridium Oxide Nanoparticles and Iridium/Iridium Oxide Nanocomposites: Photochemical Fabrication and Application in Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol

Hydrous iridium oxide (IrOx) nanoparticles (NPs) with an average diameter of 1.7 ± 0.3 nm were prepared via photochemical hydrolysis of iridium chloride in alkaline medium at room temperature. The photoinduced hydrolysis was monitored by time-dependent ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and the effects of the incident wavelength and irradiation time on the production of IrOx NPs were systematically investigated. It was found that UV-vis irradiation is crucial for the generation of IrOx NPs during the hydrolysis of IrCl3, and once the irradiation was turned off, the hydrolysis reaction stopped immediately. The production rate of IrOx NPs greatly depended on the incident wavelength. There is a critical wavelength of 500 nm for the hydrolysis reaction, and IrOx NPs can only be produced under the illumination with an incident wavelength shorter than 500 nm. Moreover, the shorter the incident wavelength, the faster the growth rate of IrOx NPs. The obtained IrOx NPs were highly stable during two months of storage at 4 °C. The Ir/IrOx nanocomposites were prepared by surface reduction of IrOx NPs with NaBH4. The microstructure of the Ir/IrOx composite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the presence of zero-valence Ir was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) result. The Ir/IrOx nanocomposite exhibited good catalytic activity and high recycling stability toward the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The catalytic activity per unit surface area of the Ir/IrOx composite catalyst was increased by a factor of 15 compared to that of pure Ir catalyst. The presence of the Ir/IrOx interfaces in the composite catalyst is believed to be responsible for the high activity.

Fluorescence and room temperature activity of Y2O3:(Eu3+,Au3+)/palygorskite nanocomposite

Palygorskite supported Y₂O₃:(Eu³⁺,Au³⁺) nanocomposites show simultaneous fluorescence and catalytic activities.