Chemically dealloyed Fe-based metallic glass with void channels-like architecture for highly enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation in catalysis

Abstract

Metallic glasses (MGs) with their intrinsic disordered atomic structure and widely controllable atomic components have recently emerged as fascinating functional materials in wastewater treatment. Compared to crystalline alloys, the less-noble atomic components in monolithic metallic glass are more efficient to be selectively dissolved during dealloying process. This work reported a facile chemical dealloying approach to fabricate a void channels-like structured MG with the elemental components of Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 for methylene blue (MB) degradation. Results indicated that the dealloyed Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 MGs with the void channels-like morphology presented a significant improvement of catalytic efficiency and reusability. The dye degradation reaction rate (kobs) of the dealloyed Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 MGs presented 3 times higher than their as-spun MGs. More importantly, the dealloyed Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 MGs can be reused up to 25 times without significantly loosing catalytic efficiency. It was also found that the dealloyed Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 MGs exhibited a greater corrosion resistance in the simulated dye solution compared to the as-spun ribbons, demonstrating a robust self-healing ability in catalytic activity. This work provides a novel view for designing MG catalysts with high efficiency and stability in worldwide energy and environmental concerns