Bimetal oxalate‐derived synthesis of laponite‐decorated CoFe2O4 porous nanostructures for activation of peroxymonopersulfate towards degradation of rhodamine B

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDAdvanced oxidation processes based on sulfate radical have been widely employed for oxidation degradation of organic contaminants. Catalytic activation of peroxymonopersulfate (PMS) with transition metal oxides holds great promise for the generation of sulfate radical. In this work, laponite‐decorated CoFe2O4 porous nanostructures have been prepared through the thermal decomposition of laponite/oxalates, and evaluated as a magnetic catalyst to activate PMS for the oxidation of rhodamine B (RhB).RESULTSThe decoration of porous CoFe2O4 microparticles with laponite was evidenced because of the presence of the vibration mode of SiO (at 1359 cm−1) in Fourier transform infrared spectra and the uniform distribution of Si and Mg elements from elemental mapping images. Decorating with laponite also resulted in an increase in amount of surface hydroxyl oxygen species, which facilitated the formation of CoOH complex for PMS activation. Furthermore, the enhanced activation of PMS with laponite‐decorated CoFe2O4 resulted in a faster removal (98.04%) of RhB as compared to undecorated CoFe2O4 (79.62%) within 56 min. Meanwhile, the rate constant increased from 0.0288 (CoFe2O4) to 0.0679 min−1 (laponite‐decorated CoFe2O4). The degradation rate of RhB progressively increased with reaction temperature and catalyst dosage. Scavenging and electron paramagnetic resonance tests manifested that the sulfate and superoxide radicals served as the major active species for the oxidation of RhB molecules.CONCLUSIONThe above results demonstrated positive effects of laponite on the textural property, surface chemical states and catalytic activity of porous CoFe2O4 microparticles. This study provides an insight into the promising role of laponite as an additive in improving PMS activation.