Progress and prospects of Mg-based amorphous alloys in azo dye wastewater treatment

Mg-based amorphous alloys exhibit efficient catalytic performance and excellent biocompatibility with a promising application probability, specifically in the field of azo dye wastewater degradation. However, the problems like difficulty in preparation and poor cycling stability need to be solved. At present, Mg-based amorphous alloys applied in wastewater degradation are available in powder and ribbon. The amorphous alloy powder fabricated by ball milling has a high specific surface area, and its reactivity is thousands of times better than that of gas atomized alloy powder. But the development is limited due to the high energy consumption, difficult and costly process of powder recycling. The single roller melt-spinning method is a new manufacturing process of amorphous alloy ribbon. Compared to amorphous powder, the specific surface area of amorphous ribbon is relatively lower, therefore, it is necessary to carry out surface modification to enhance it. Dealloying is a way that can form a pore structure on the surface of the amorphous alloys, increasing the specific surface area and providing more reactive sites, which all contribute to the catalytic performance. Exploring the optimal conditions for Mg-based amorphous alloys in wastewater degradation by adjusting amorphous alloy composition, choosing suitable method to preparation and surface modification, reducing cost, expanding the pH range will advance the steps to put Mg-based amorphous alloys in industrial environments into practice.