Fe-based thin film metallic glass as an activator of peroxymonosulfate for azo dye degradation

Abstract

Abstract In this work Fe39Co39Si8B14 thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) of thickness ranged between 122– 475 nm were deposited by magnetron sputtering on a commercial filter paper to act as a peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for degradation of Orange G (OG) azo dye. Degradation of 98.6% was achieved in 16 min. The influence of parameters such as catalyst dosage, light irradiation intensity, dye and PMS concentration to the efficiency of degradation were also investigated. SEM and XPS results revealed that the outstanding performance was attributed to the abundance of amorphous zero valent metals given by the amorphous atomic packing structure of TFMG. Zero valent metals readily activated PMS and favored the generation of SO4• and •OH radicals, which were the responsible species in degrading OG dye molecules. Another contribution was from the fibrous and porous texture of the filter paper substrate which provides specific surface area as high as 1.152 m2/g. TFMG-coated filter paper also showed good reusability that repeated degradation was possible. Results suggests that applying TFMG on a textured substrate could drastically reduce the dosage of Fe-based metallic glass needed compared to its powder or foil counterparts, which is significantly more cost effective.