Bimetallic peroxide nanocatalytic gel for water disinfection

With the globalization of industrial development, use of unsafe water has become a major problem of morbidity and mortality in various countries. Chlorination and ozone disinfection to remove disease-causing microbes can only be done in energy-rich regions and is impractical for most parts of the planet. In this study, natural non-toxic hydrogel loaded with bimetallic peroxide (CeCuOx) has been designed with H2O2 self-supply and synergistic effect-mediated cascade Fenton-like catalytic chemistry for high-efficiency water disinfection. The CeCuOx could in situ decompose to H2O2 and bimetallic oxide by responding to the weakly acidic water body, followed by direct •OH generation via Ce / Cu synergistic-enhanced Fenton-like catalytic reaction, which significantly improved the antibacterial activity without any assistance of O2 and external energy. Moreover, the well-proportioned pore structures of gel endow good bacteria adhesion and allow for long-term release of nano-catalyst, significantly promoting the antibacterial activity. Superior water disinfection efficiency was achieved at extremely low dose of 0.075g active CeCuOx and no harmful byproducts were formed, which was superior to those previously reported works. Therefore, the bimetallic peroxide nanocatalytic gel provides a simple efficient, low-cost and affordable path in the field of water disinfection.