Enhanced dye degradation capability and reusability of Fe-based amorphous ribbons by surface activation

The dye degradation capability and reusability of FeSiBNbCu amorphous ribbons are largely enhanced due to the surface activation by ball milling.The time required for degrading 50%of acid orange 7 solution by the activated FeSiBNbCu amorphous ribbons is only 1/6 of that by the as-quenched ribbons,while the reusable times of the activated ribbons is 6 times larger than that of the as-quenched ribbons.The superior degradation capability and better reusability of the activated FeSiBNbCu amorphous ribbons come from not only the uneven topography of the ribbon surface induced by ball milling,but also the stored deformation energy,including the structural rejuvenation and the enlarged residual stress.The structural rejuvenation in the activated FeSiBNbCu amorphous ribbons is verified by heat relaxation analysis,and the increased residual stress is confirmed by the magnetic domain measurements on the ribbon surfaces.Besides,the environmental adaptability of the activated FeSiBNbCu amorphous ribbons is also investigated.The possible pathways for degradation of acid orange 7 using the activated ribbons,including azo bond cleavage and hydroxylation of benzene ring,are proposed.This work provides a new method to effectively improve the degradation performance of amorphous ribbons.