Iron phthalocyanine supported on amidoximated PAN fiber as effective catalyst for controllable hydrogen peroxide activation in oxidizing organic dyes.

Iron(II) phthalocyanine was immobilized onto amidoximated polyacrylonitrile fiber to construct a bioinspired catalytic system for oxidizing organic dyes by H2O2 activation. The amidoxime groups greatly helped to anchor Iron(II) phthalocyanine molecules onto the fiber through coordination interaction, which has been confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analyses. Electron spin resonance studies indicate that the catalytic process of physically anchored Iron(II) phthalocyanine performed via a hydroxyl radical pathway, while the catalyst bonded Iron(II) phthalocyanine through coordination effect could selectively catalyze the H2O2 decomposition to generate high-valent iron-oxo species. This may result from the amidoxime groups functioning as the axial fifth ligands to favor the heterolytic cleavage of the peroxide OO bond. This feature also enables the catalyst to only degrade the dyes adjacent to the catalytic active centers and enhances the efficient utilization of H2O2. In addition, this catalyst could effectively catalyze the mineralization of organic dyes and can be easily recycled without any loss of activity.