Cerium–Bismuth Oxides/Oxynitrates with Low Toxicity for the Removal and Degradation of Organophosphates and Bisphenols

• Published in: ACS applied nano materials Vol. 5; no. 12; pp. 17956 - 17968
• Main Authors: Henych, Jiří, Št’astný, Martin, Němečková, Zuzana, Kormunda, Martin, Šanderová, Zuzana, Žmudová, Zuzana, Ryšánek, Petr, Stehlík, Štěpán, Ederer, Jakub, Liegertová, Michaela, Trögl, Josef, Janoš, Pavel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 23-12-2022
• Subjects: reactive adsorption; paraoxon methyl; nanoceria; bisphenol A; photocatalysis; bisphenol S; bismuth
• ISSN: 2574-0970; 2574-0970
• DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.2c03926

Nanoscale cerium–bismuth oxides/oxynitrates were prepared by a scalable low-temperature method at ambient pressure using water as the sole solvent. Solid solutions were formed up to a 1:1 Ce/Bi molar ratio, while at higher doping levels, bismuth oxynitrate photocatalysts with a pronounced layered structure were formed. Bismuth caused significant changes in the structure and surface properties of nanoceria, such as the formation of defects, oxygen-containing surface groups, and Lewis and Brønsted acid sites. The prepared bifunctional adsorbents/photocatalysts were efficient in the removal of toxic organophosphate (methyl paraoxon) from water by reactive adsorption followed by photocatalytic decomposition of the parent compound and its degradation product (p-nitrophenol). Bi-doped ceria also effectively adsorbed and photodegraded the endocrine disruptors bisphenols A and S and outperformed pure ceria and the P25 photocatalyst in terms of efficiency, durability, and long-term stability. The very low toxicity of Bi-nanoceria to mammalian cells, aquatic organisms, and bacteria has been demonstrated by comprehensive in vivo/in vitro testing, which, in addition to its simple “green” synthesis, high activity, and durability, makes Bi-doped ceria promising for safe use in abatement of toxic chemicals.