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The hybrid sol-gel zirconia-acetylacetonate amorphous material (HSGZ) shows high catalytic activity in oxidative degradation reactions without light or thermal pretreatment. This peculiar HSGZ ability derives from the generation of highly reactive oxygen radical species (ROS) upon exposure to air at room conditions. We disclose the origin of such unique feature by combining EPR and DRUV measurements with first-principles calculations. The organic ligand acetylacetonate (acac) plays a pivotal role in generating and stabilizing the superoxide radical species at the HSGZ-air interfaces. Our results lead the path toward further development of HSGZ and related hybrid materials for ROS-based energy and environmental applications.

The oxidative degradation of 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), 4-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)butanoic acid (MCPB), 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4 D) by ZrO2-acetylacetonate hybrid catalyst (HSGZ) without light irradiation was assessed. The thermal stability of the catalyst was investigated by thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. For each herbicide, a virtually complete removal in about 3 days without light irradiation at room temperature was achieved. The removal kinetics of the herbicides has been satisfactorily characterized by a double-stage physico-mathematical model, in the hypothesis that a first-order adsorption on HSGZ surface is followed by the herbicide degradation, catalytically driven by HSGZ surface groups. The long-term use of the HSGZ catalyst was assessed by repeated-batch tests. The specific cost for unit-volume removal of herbicide was evaluated by a detailed cost analysis showing that it is comparable with those pertaining to alternative methods.

A class II hybrid sol-gel material was prepared starting from zirconium(IV) propoxide and 2,4-pentanedione and its catalytic activity in the removal of the herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) was revealed. The thermal and structural characterization, performed by thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis, and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, demonstrated the hybrid nature of the material. The structure of the material can be described as a polymeric network of zirconium oxo clusters, on the surface of which large part of Zr(4+) ions are involved in strong complexation equilibria with acetylacetonate (acac) ligands. The incubation of MCPA in the presence of this material yielded an herbicide removal fraction up to 98%. A two-step mechanism was proposed for the MCPA removal, in which a reversible first-order adsorption of the herbicide is followed by its catalytic degradation. The nature of the products of the MCPA catalytic degradation as well as the reaction conditions adopted do not support typical oxidation pathways involving radicals, suggesting the existence of a different mechanism in which the Zr(4+):acac enol-type complex can act as Lewis acid catalyst.

High surface area phosphosilicate glasses were synthesized by a new sol-gel method and characterized for structural, textural and acid properties by XRD, TG/DTA, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR and DRIFT), solid state 31P and 29Si NMR spectroscopy, N2 adsorption and NH3 temperature programmed desorption (TPD). The glasses were synthesized by a sol-gel route hydrolyzing the precursors in an almost solely aqueous environment. Microstructural changes occurring during the conversion of the gels into the corresponding glasses were investigated. For all dried gels (383 K) the elimination of organic residues was complete at 673 K. After this heat treatment ca. 80% of the phosphorus was present as free phosphoric acid except for the sample with the highest P content for which the percentage dropped to ca. 47%. Textural properties of samples treated at 673 K were greatly influenced by the composition. Surface area decreased and pore dimension increased with increasing phosphorus content, indicating a gradual transformation of the siloxane matrix from microporous to mesoporous. Brønsted acid sites of differing strength, mainly related to the presence of phosphoric acids, were found. The surface concentration and strength of acid sites increased with phosphorus content. Key words: sol-gel; phosphosilicate glasses; IR spectroscopy; NMR; N2 adsorption isotherms; surface acidity