Reactivity of Pd/Fe bimetallic nanotubes in dechlorination of coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls

A new class of bimetallic materials based on palladium-decorated iron nanotubes is described that demonstrates high reactivity in dechlorination reactions. This high dechlorination efficiency was attributed to the high surface area to volume ratio of the hollow nanotubes structure. Herein, we evaluated the effect of different conditions, such as the nanotube size, and the palladium loading on the efficiency of the dechlorination of PCB 77, a model coplanar polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), by the Pd/Fe bimetallic nanotubes system. The efficiency of the dechlorination was lowered by decreasing the tube diameter from 200 to 100 nm. In addition, the interior surface as well as the exterior surface of the as-synthesized Pd/Fe bimetallic nanotubes was found to contribute to the high efficiency of the dechlorination of PCB 77. The dechlorination of PCB 77 by Pd/Fe bimetallic nanotubes demonstrated small activation energy indicating diffusion controlled reaction. The as-prepared Pd/Fe bimetallic nanotubes showed extended lifetime activity when used in multiple dechlorination cycles.

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► Design of novel iron nanotube material decorated with palladium nanoparticles.
► Pd/Fe nanotubes demonstrate high efficiency in dechlorination of PCBs.
► The size of the tube, Pd content, and temperature affect the dechlorination efficiency.
► The Pd/Fe nanotubes are stable for multiple dechlorination cycles.