Layered double hydroxides for efficient treatment of heavy metals and organic pollutants: Recent progress and future perspectives

With the development of industry and agriculture, heavy metals (HMs) and organic pollutants (OPs) have become significant threats to both the ecological environment and human health. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), possessing large specific surface areas, low Ksp, ultrastable mineralization effects, easily modified surfaces and anion embedding characteristics, have distinct advantages in treating HMs and OPs. Utilizing the CiteSpace software and the Web of Science database, we conducted co-occurrence, cocitation, and cluster analyses of 2571 papers published from 2014 to 2023. The most productive countries were China, the United States, India, Iran and Saudi Arabia, among which the largest number of Chinese publications was 1432, accounting for 55.70%, far greater than that of other countries. Seven out of the top 10 institutions were from China, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences leading with 168 papers. Cr(VI), Cd(II), tetracycline and malachite green have attracted considerable attention recently and are anticipated to remain under the spotlight. Challenges impacting the swift progress of LDHs were outlined. This work offers researchers scientific insights into the field’s trajectory, enabling them to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms.