Novel nanozyme Ag/Fe3O4@h-BN with peroxidase-mimicking and oxidase-mimicking activities for dye degradation, As(V) removal and detection

Abstract

Wastewater rich in compound pollution often posed serious environmental burden, not only for the disposal difficulties, but also with a large amount of energy consumption. Recently, an increasing number of environmental nanomaterials with advantages of easy synthesis, low cost and environment-friendly were applied in studies of complex pollutant removal, considered as good alternatives and supplements to traditional wastewater treatment methods. Herein, a novel nanozyme of Ag/Fe3O4@h-BN with both peroxidase- and oxidase-mimicking activities was designed and successfully prepared for wastewater treatment. Besides excellent nanozyme activity, Ag/Fe3O4@h-BN was also demonstrated with dyes degradation capabilities, As(V) adsorption and detection. Under the optimal conditions, over 99.5% of methyl orange, methylene blue and rhodamine B were degraded by Ag/Fe3O4@h-BN, while 63.35% of As(V) was removed. As a detection agent of As(V), the excellent selectivity and sensitivity of Ag/Fe3O4@h-BN were confirmed. Innovatively, combined with DFT calculations and experimental results, the stable structure and mechanism of Ag/Fe3O4@h-BN were scientifically and accurately verified repeatedly. In summary, this work provides new deep insights for rational design of advanced nanozymes, and demonstrates the application potential in environmental remediation using the novel nanozyme of Ag/Fe3O4@h-BN.