NIR-driven PtCu-alloy nanocages via photothermal enhanced fenton catalytic degradation of pollutant dyes under neutral pH

In this work, near-infrared (NIR) light driven concave octopod PtCu alloy nanocages (OPtCu-NCs) were fabricated and first developed as photothermal synergetic Fenton catalyst for degradation of pollutant dyes. Moreover, by irradiating with NIR laser (808 nm), the obtained OPtCu-NCs exhibit excellent NIR absorption capacity and thus produce hyperpyrexia over 50 °C. Concomitantly, by the photothermal effect, the OPtCu-NCs nanocatalysts was used for elimination of organic dyes such as Methylene blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RhB). The NIR-driven photothermal degradation mechanism under NIR irradiation can be attributed to the Fenton-like catalytic performance of Cu ions, then -N=C- and/or C-C bonds in the molecular skeleton were fractured and electrons were donated intensively. As confirmed by a typical radical trapping experiment, electrons trigger the formation of miscellaneous reactive species (O2-, HO2, especially •OH) subsequently. Moreover, the photothermal Fenton-catalytic activity of the as-prepared OPtCu-NCs had maintained at 93.15% (for MB) and 91.87% (for RhB) after ten circulating degradation processes. All acquired results reveal that the OPtCu-NCs have the potential applied value in dyestuff-wastewater treatment under neutral pH.