Porous Pr(OH)3 Nanostructures as High-Efficiency Adsorbents for Dye Removal

Herein we report the electrochemical synthesis of porous Pr(OH)(3) nanobelt arrays (NBAs), nanowire arrays (NWAs), nanowire bundles (NWBs), and nanowires (NWs) and their applications as dye absorbents in water treatment. These Pr(OH)(3) nanostructures exhibit high efficient and selective adsorption of the dyes with amine (similar to NH2) functional groups such as Congo red, reactive yellow, and reactive blue. The high efficiency and selectivity is attributed to the large effective surface area of the porous structure, plentiful hydroxyl groups, and basic sites on the Pr(OH)(3) surface. Furthermore, the toxicity studies of these porous Pr(OH)(3) nanostructure show a negligible effect on seed germination, indicating that they hold great potential as environmentally friendly absorbents in water treatment.