Characterization and reactivity of novel silver/iron nanoparticles

One of critical aspects still limiting a wider use of zero-valent iron in large-scale application is the use of borohydride for the material synthesis, which is expensive and leads to the production of large quantities of hydrogen gas and toxic borates. A new bimetallic material was devised, whose synthesis employs eco-benign sulfur-based reducing agent and is of easy implementation and scalability. Our material consists of a core of zero-valent iron covered by a thin film of iron oxide, while silver is homogeneously distributed, and proved able to efficiently decolorize bromophenol blue outperforming zero-valent silver (ZVS) and nZVI obtained with the same method. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.