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 0.075 g 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.