Rapid and selective adsorption capacity towards cationic dye with an anionic functionalized Anderson-type polyoxometalate

A pyridyl-functionalized Anderson-type polyoxometalate was selected to study its conductivity, photoelectrochemical property and adsorption capability for organic dyes. The negative-charged compound exhibits an almost complete adsorption for the cationic dye MB and could be applied in a consecutive filtering apparatus for the rapid and recycled adsorption. • A functionalized Anderson-polyoxometalate showed a good conductivity. • The anionic POM exhibits excellent adsorption behavior for cationic dye. • This POM could be applied for the rapid and consecutive adsorption. The treatment of organic dyes in industrial wastewater has been attracted much attentions in environmental protection and health. In this work, an organic-functionalized Anderson-type polyoxometalate (POM, noted as (TBA) 3 POM-1) was selected to explore its conductivity and photoelectrochemical property and the application of the organic dyes adsorption. (TBA) 3 POM-1 showed a good conductivity and the typical characteristic of an n -type semiconductor with the band gap at 2.87 eV. The negative-charged (TBA) 3 POM-1 exhibits an efficient adsorption for the cationic dye MB (methyl blue), and the obvious excluding effect for the anionic dye MO (methyl orange), indicating an excellent charge-based selective adsorption capacity. (TBA) 3 POM-1 could be applied in a filtering apparatus for the rapid and consecutive adsorption.