Metal oxide composites for detoxification of chemical warfare agent (CWA) simulant with enhanced catalytic activity under IR irradiation

Toxic organophosphate-based nerve agents have become the deadliest agents used in battlefields and terrorist attacks because even their small amounts can cause permanent damage, even after medical treatment. Various catalysts have been developed for the destruction of nerve agents. Among them, metal oxide nanoparticles have become one of the most widely studied materials owing to their excellent stability, high reactivity, and non-toxicity. Herein, we designed and synthesized a photothermally active metal oxide catalyst for the decomposition of DMNP consisting of SBA-15 containing MgO, which is deposited on GO, achieving unprecedented results. Under IR-LED irradiation, MgO@SBA-15@GO was an effective catalyst for the degradation of DMNP, resulting in a 15 min half-life (t_1/2) of DMNP in EtOH. GO was employed to convert the absorbed light from IR irradiation to heat. This constant photothermal conversion increases the reaction temperature, resulting in a faster reaction rate without the use of an external heat source. Remarkably, MgO@SBA-15@GO showed no significant change in photothermal catalytic activity even after five cycles of reuse, demonstrating the high stability of the material. The material prepared herein performed well as a photothermally active heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of DMNP under IR-LED light, indicating great potential for metal oxide catalysts used in combination with photothermal materials for catalytic decomposition of nerve agents.