Efficient iron single-atom materials for environmental pollutants removal from aqueous solutions: A review

Abstract

With the advantages of high atomic utilization, clear and uniform active sites, high catalytic activity, outstanding stability, excellent selectivity and recyclability, iron single-atom materials have shown promising application in the fields of electrocatalysis, hydrogen production, batteries, and sensors. However, the research work on the efficient removal of various toxic and hazardous pollutants from aqueous solutions using iron single-atom materials was still limited. Their properties such as environmental compatibility, high specific surface area and functionality have unrivaled natural advantages in degrading pollutants in aqueous solutions, which deserve in-depth exploration by researchers. However, pure single-atom materials were thermodynamically unstable and tended to aggregate into nanoclusters and particles. Therefore, single-atom materials were often loaded onto different support materials, while the activity of materials depended mainly on the physicochemical properties of the support materials and the coordination mode between the single-atoms and the support materials. In this review, the preparation and physicochemical properties of iron single-atom materials supported by commonly used carrier materials (such as g-C3N4, MOFs, COFs, biochar, etc.) were summarized firstly. The applications of different materials for organic pollutants degradation and heavy metal ions removal in aqueous environment were further analyzed, and influence factors and reaction mechanisms for pollutants treatment were investigated. The main mechanism of organic pollutants degradation was catalytic degradation, while the mechanism of heavy metal ions removal was adsorption and redox. Finally, prospects and personal insights were provided for the utilization of iron single-atom materials in environmental pollution decontamination.