One-step Sb(III) decontamination using a bifunctional photoelectrochemical filter.

Developing advanced technologies to achieve decontamination of emerging contaminants such as antimony (Sb) is highly demanded. Herein, we successfully designed a dual-functional photoelectrochemical filter system for "one-step" detoxification and sequestration of highly toxic Sb(III). The key to this technology is a photoelectrical-responsive CNT filter functionalized with nanoscale MIL-88B(Fe) photocatalysts. At 2.5 V and under illumination, a 97.7 ± 1.5 % Sb(III) transformation and a 92.9 ± 2.3 % Sbtotal removal efficiency can be obtained using an optimal hybrid filter (e.g. CM(50:3)) over 2 h continuous filtration. This can be explained by the synergistic effects of the filter's flow-through design, photoelectrochemical reactivity, fine pore size, and plentiful exposed sorption sites. Various advanced characterization techniques validated the system efficacy. Improved Sb(III) removal kinetics were observed when compared with conventional batch system (97.5 % vs 75.8 %). A synergistic effect between photocatalytic (PC) and electrochemical (EC) process were identified (kPEC =0.99 h-1 >kPC=0.21 h-1 + kEC =0.30 h-1). EPR and photochemical characterizations suggested that hydroxyl radicals dominated the Sb(III) conversion. The proposed technology works effectively across a wide range of pH values and water matrixes. The outcomes of this study can facilitate mechanistic insights into photoelectrocatalysis and provide a promising nanotechnology for efficient Sb(III) decontamination.