Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub>/GO Nanocomposite for the Degradation of Nerve Agent Soman (GD) in High-Humidity Environments

oleh: Seongon Jang, Dongwon Ka, Hyunsook Jung, Min-Kun Kim, Heesoo Jung, Youngho Jin

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2020-07-01

Deskripsi

Zirconium hydroxide, Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> is known to be highly effective for the degradation of chemical nerve agents. Due to the strong interaction force between Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> and the adsorbed water, however, Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> rapidly loses its activity for nerve agents under high-humidity environments, limiting real-world applications. Here, we report a nanocomposite material of Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> and graphene oxide (GO) which showed enhanced stability in humid environments. Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub>/GO nanocomposite was prepared via a dropwise method, resulting in a well-dispersed and embedded GO in Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> nanocomposite. The nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>) isotherm analysis showed that the pore structure of Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub>/GO nanocomposite is heterogeneous, and its meso-porosity increased from 0.050 to 0.251 cm<sup>3</sup>/g, compared with pristine Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> prepared. Notably, the composite material showed a better performance for nerve agent soman (GD) degradation hydrolysis under high-humidity air conditions (80% relative humidity) and even in aqueous solution. The soman (GD) degradation by the nanocomposite follows the catalytic reaction with a first-order half-life of 60 min. Water adsorption isotherm analysis and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectra provide direct evidence that the interaction between Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> and the adsorbed water is reduced in Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub>/GO nanocomposite, indicating that the active sites of Zr(OH)<sub>4</sub> for the soman (GD) degradation, such as surface hydroxyl groups are almost available even in high-humidity environments.