Environmentally benign polyoxometalate materials

•Latest advances in environmentally benign POMs are summarized.•The mechanisms that allow POMs to solve environmental problems are discussed.•Solutions to important environmental issues are provided.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are a class of versatile and discrete anionic metal oxides in groups 5 and 6. POMs have unique physical and chemical properties, e.g., strong Brønsted acidity, strong oxidizing agents, an unmatched range of molecular structures, efficient adsorbents, green catalysts, and redox activity. These properties have been utilized in the design of multifunctional POM materials with the ability to address different environmental issues, such as toxic gas sequestration, wastewater decontamination, fine chemical production, corrosion, and radioactive waste processing. In this study, we discuss the chemical mechanisms that involve POMs, and which have been used to solve important environmental problems. Understanding of these mechanisms will facilitate the design and synthesis of more environmentally benign POM-containing materials to solve various environmental problems.

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