Development of (Fe-Co-Ni)-Si-B metallic glass catalyst for promoting degradation of acid orange II azo-dye

Fe-based metallic glass (MG) catalyst, also called amorphous zero-valent iron (AZVI), is a functional material that has recently been in the spotlight due to its high reactivity compared to conventional catalysts for wastewater purification. In this study, novel Fe-based MG with excellent degradation rate and reusability was developed through systematic investigation by tailoring the contents of Co and Ni and structural design to form (Fe, Co, Ni)-rich clusters. We found that the process of dye degradation by a Fenton-like oxidative reaction with H2O2 can have low activation energy, assisted by a reductive reaction with nickel hydride formation. Consequently, the reductive and oxidative complex dye degradation mechanism can be effectively implemented to improve degradation rate and reusability, significantly superior to that of the commercial zero-valent iron(Fe0, ZVI) powder. Our findings revealed the compositional and structural key principles of Fe-based MG design, and are expected to provide new opportunities for industrial applications of advanced Fe-based MG.& COPY; 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.