An organic-inorganic hybrid based on bicapped Keggin polyoxometalate as a heterogeneous catalyst for MB removal via Fenton-like/photo-Fenton-like degradation or reduction

An organic-inorganic hybrid polyoxometalate (POM) [CuI(phen)2]4[PMoVI8VIV6O42{CuI(phen)}2]•H5O2 (CuPMoV) was explored as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for methylene blue (MB) degradation in the absence/presence of visible light at neutral pH. CuPMoV was characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR and UV–vis DRS techniques. The effect of initial pH, the concentrations of H2O2 and dye, and CuPMoV dosage on the degradation was evaluated. The possible mechanism for the Fenton-like/photo-Fenton-like was proposed. Under the optimum conditions, the MB degradation rates were 85.3 % (Fenton-like reaction) and 95.2 % (photo-Fenton-like reaction) in 12 min, respectively. CuPMoV also exhibited excellent catalytic performance for MB reduction in the presence of NaBH4, with the reduction rate of 98.6 % in 90 s. The pseudo-first-order rate constant of the reduction was estimated as 0.0246 s−1. The high reusability and stability of CuPMoV enabled it to undergo five cycles of usage without significant loss of catalytic activity. The multi-metal composition of CuPMoV and the bicapped Keggin unit were the root of its excellent catalytic activities. CuPMoV may be a potential candidate for the practical treatment of MB contaminated wastewater via oxidation or reduction.