Efficient degradation capability of the FePCB amorphous alloy in acid orange 7 dye solution

Abstract

The degradation ability of the Fe85P11C2B2 amorphous alloy in the acid orange 7 (AO7) solution was compared to that of Fe80B13C7. The results show that the Fe85P11C2B2 amorphous ribbon exhibits a higher degradation efficiency and lower reaction activation energy than Fe80B13C7. This is due to the fact that Fe85P11C2B2 is prone to form 3D nanochannel and porous nanosheet network structures, which improves adsorption capacity and increases the number of active reaction sites. On the other hand, the weakly bonded Fe–B and Fe–P can form more complex galvanic cells with strongly bonded Fe–C to accelerate dye degradation. The analysis of electron paramagnetic resonance and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry reveals that the generation of the reactive species [H] plays a key role in the degradation of AO7. In addition, the degradation pathway and environmental applicability were studied. The results confirm that the low-cost Fe85P11C2B2 alloy is a potential material for wastewater treatment.