In this study, mixed manganese-niobium oxides were synthesized using a Pechini method. The materials were fully characterized and tested in catalytic ozonation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) as a model antibiotic pollutant. It was revealed that the Pechini method allowed the obtainment of mixed Mn-Nb oxides containing a unique Nb2MnO6 phase. The most efficient formation of Nb2MnO6 was observed at a low Mn/Nb molar ratio, while bulk Mn2O3 was preferentially obtained at a higher manganese loadings. The results of the catalytic tests revealed that manganese species in Mn-Nb mixed oxides exhibit higher activity in catalytic ozonation than Mn species in bulk Mn2O3. The strongly enhanced activity of manganese in the Nb2MnO6 phase was associated with a higher electron density in the vicinity of Mn2+ species and the presence of strongly nucleophilic surface oxygen species, which most probably enabled more efficient electron transfer from the catalyst to adsorbed ozone molecules, leading to more efficient formation of hydroxyl radicals and mineralization of TC. Significant enhancement of TC mineralization in the presence of mixed Mn-Nb oxides was observed even at low catalyst loading (0.05 g/L). The most active mixed Mn-Nb oxides could mineralize tetracycline in a broad pH range in complex water matrices. The studies also included a detailed analysis of the possible TC degradation pathways and evaluation of the toxicity of degradation products. Results obtained in this work can have a significant impact on the development of more active catalysts based on mixed metal oxides for the removal of antibiotic pollutants from water.

Understanding how monomer composition during the synthesis of bifunctional polymers governs their pore architecture and functional group distribution is essential for the rational design of high-performance adsorbents. However, the composition-structure-property relationships governing pharmaceutical adsorption on bifunctional polymers still remain unclear. To address this gap and unravel the potential benefits resulting from the development of novel approaches for the synthesis of bifunctional adsorbents, hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) bearing sulfonic (-SO3H) and phosphate (-PO4H) groups were designed and prepared via one-pot Friedel-Crafts alkylation of 4,4 '-bis(chloromethyl)-1,1 '-biphenyl (BCMB) in the presence of diphenyl phosphate (DPP), with chlorosulfonic acid as the crosslinking-sulfonating agent. This synthetic approach revealed previously unrecognized dual role of DPP as a phosphate-bearing comonomer and a structural modulator governing pore architecture and enhancing sulfonation efficiency. Comprehensive spectroscopic, elemental, and textural analyses confirmed the formation of bifunctional networks with tunable micro-mesoporous structures strongly affected by BCMB:DPP molar ratio. The most efficient material, SP-HCP(4:1), achieved an optimal balance between BET surface area and functional group loading, reaching an adsorption capacity of 800 mg g-1 for diclofenac with accelerated adsorption kinetics. Experimental studies supported by molecular dynamics simulations and DFT calculations showed that adsorption was driven mainly by hydrogen bonding between diclofenac and-SO3H/ -PO4H groups, further stabilized by pi-pi interactions. These findings highlight that rational adjustment of monomer composition during polymerization enables precise control over pore structure, functional group accessibility, and interfacial adsorption mechanisms, providing new insights into the design of HCP-based adsorbents for efficient removal of refractory pharmaceutical pollutants from water.

Conventional photocatalysts often show limited efficiency in complex aqueous matrices because reactive oxygen species (ROS) are rapidly scavenged by competing solutes. To overcome this limitation, TiO2-polymer hybrids bearing molecularly imprinted adsorption sites selective toward metronidazole (MNZ) were synthesised to preconcentrate the pollutant near the photocatalyst surface. Molecularly imprinted (MIP) and non-imprinted (NIP) materials with different polymer-to-TiO2 mass ratios were prepared to examine how interfacial polymer architecture affects adsorption and photocatalytic performance. Structural and optical analyses confirmed the formation of a thin surface-confined polymer layer that preserved the TiO2 crystal structure while introducing adsorption centres. All materials followed Langmuir adsorption behaviour. MIPs exhibited 3-4-fold higher adsorption capacities than NIPs and pseudo-second-order kinetics consistent with cavity-driven MNZ binding, whereas NIPs showed faster but non-specific uptake. Under UV irradiation, photocatalytic activity correlated with these interfacial features. MIP_1:10 and MIP_1:5 achieved the highest MNZ removal (similar to 95%), indicating that increased recognition-site density can offset light attenuation at higher polymer loadings. In municipal wastewater, efficiencies decreased, but MIPs consistently outperformed NIPs. These results show that imprinting-layer thickness and interfacial architecture govern the balance between selective adsorption and photocatalytic degradation in TiO2-based hybrids.

In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to developing efficient methods for removing antibiotic residues from water. This study fits this scientific trend and focuses on unraveling the influence of phosphate doping on the structure/texture, surface properties, and catalytic performance of Fe-Nb mixed oxides in the oxidative degradation of tetracycline (TC) via a photo-assisted Fenton-like process. The detailed characterization of the materials revealed that the addition of a small amount of phosphate species during the hydrothermal growth of mixed Fe-Nb oxides promotes the formation of an iron(III) phosphate phase (Fe4(PO4)3(OH)3) and enhances the dispersion of iron species within the niobium oxide matrix, leading to an increased surface area and stronger Fe-Nb interactions. However, excessive phosphate loading led to a marked decrease in the texture properties of the resulting materials, reflected in their noticeably lower catalytic activity. The most active phosphate-doped Fe-Nb mixed oxide exhibited a 1.7-fold increase in TC degradation rate relative to undoped FeNbOx. The catalytic effect originated from the enhanced generation of hydroxyl radicals, which served as the main oxidizing species in the TC degradation process. Catalyst reuse tests confirmed minimal Fe/Nb leaching over multiple cycles, and proved relatively high stability of the phosphate-doped Fe-Nb catalytic systems. These findings indicate that the phosphate-modified Fe-Nb oxides are promising heterogeneous catalysts for the removal of antibiotics via advanced oxidation processes, and imply that the phosphate doping represents a viable strategy for improving the catalytic performance of metal oxide-based materials designed for photo-assisted Fenton-like reactions.

Polymeric materials represent an attractive yet still underexplored class of supports for gold nanoparticles. In this work, we examine how surface functionalization of polystyrene influences the efficiency of gold loading, metal particle size, as well as electronic and catalytic properties of the supported gold species in microwave-assisted oxidation of benzyl alcohol using H2O2 as an oxidant. For this purpose, commercial polystyrene-co-divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) crosslinked polymers functionalized with primary, secondary, and tertiary amines: (aminomethyl)polystyrene (amPS), aminomethylated polystyrene HL (amPSHL), piperazine, polymer-bound (pipPS), and dimethylaminomethyl-polystyrene (dmamPS), were modified with gold via a direct deposition-reduction method using HAuCl4 as gold source and NaBH4 as reducing agent. It was revealed that nitrogen content in polymers, thus the number of potential anchoring sites for AuCl4- species, and the nature of amine species are the key factors controlling gold nanoparticle size and its electronic structure. Higher amine loading led to smaller gold crystallites, demonstrating the stabilizing effect of amine functionalities through interfacial gold-amine interactions that limit particle growth and aggregation. The nature of amine species had a more significant impact on electronic properties of gold species. In general, secondary and tertiary amine species led to stronger electronic interactions with supported gold nanoparticles. Catalytic activity increased in the order: Au/amPS approximate to Au/amPSHL << Au/pipPS < Au/dmamPS. The observed differences in catalytic behaviour are attributed to variations in interfacial efficiency of hydrogen peroxide decomposition and subsequent activation of the as-formed molecular oxygen on gold nanoparticles to proceed the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. These findings demonstrate that tuning polymer surface chemistry provides a powerful strategy to control gold nanoparticle nucleation, growth, and stabilization, offering valuable insights for the design of polymer-supported gold catalysts with enhanced catalytic performance.

One of the main sources of secondary microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment is single-use plastic products. However, research on their adsorption capabilities is still limited. In this study, we used a representative set of well-characterized micro-sized fragments, films, and foam to evaluate differences in copper(II) adsorption via a series of batch adsorption experiments. We aimed to understand how the adsorption capacity of Cu(II) differs between a set of secondary MPs in model seawater. We examined the effect of particle size, surface hydrophobicity, and salinity as factors influencing adsorption. The highest adsorption capacity was observed for foam fragments made from a clamshell PS food container followed by a food tray made from PP (591 ± 168 and 353 ± 45 µg/g of MP, respectively). The presence of a higher salinity environment had no negative effect on the adsorption capacity, except that of spherical PS. Our results suggest that the chosen MPs (hard fragments and films) do not have a high ability for Cu(II) adsorption, except for expanded PS and PP films. This study also highlights the difficulties associated with using irregular pieces of post-consumer plastic in model experiments.

This study presents a Cu3(PO4)2/CuWO4 composite catalyst (CuPW-1/1), synthesized using a facile coprecipitation method, as a promising catalyst for efficient degradation of tetracycline (TC) in water via H2O2based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). In a Fenton-like process, CuPW-1/1 was found to be 19 and 66 times more efficient in TC degradation than CuWO4 and Cu3(PO4)2, respectively. Moreover, the efficiency of the CuPW1/1 composite in TC degradation can be further enhanced upon exposure of the reaction medium to ultraviolet (UV) light, achieving more than 90 % antibiotic removal in just 30 min of the reaction at very low catalyst loading and H2O2 dosage. The strongly enhanced activity of the composite catalyst in a Fenton-like process originated from the unique surface properties of this material which enabled a high dispersion of the main active component responsible for the activation of H2O2 (Cu3(PO4)2) and provided strong interface contact between copper(II) phosphate and copper(II) tungstate, promoting more efficient degradation of TC in a photocatalytic and photo-assisted Fenton-like processes due to the formation of type I heterojunction. The main oxidizing species responsible for the highly efficient degradation and mineralization of TC were hydroxyl radicals. Furthermore, it was established that the CuPW-1/1 composite can efficiently degrade TC in a complex water matrix and can be successfully reused several times without any significant decrease in its efficiency. The results of this study may have a significant impact on the development of new catalysts for H2O2-based AOPs addressed to water treatment under environmentally relevant conditions.

This study explores the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants using a CeO2@C3N4/WO3 (CNW) composite under white LED illumination. The CNW was prepared via a mechanical mixing, and individual components (CeO2 and C3N4) were prepared by precipitation and thermal decomposition methods. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the association of all the components. Results of CNW-based catalytic tests demonstrated the superior photochemical performance as compared to its components. Under white LED light, the composite efficiently degraded crystal violet as a model organic dye, achieving 100 % of dye removal in just 25 min of the reaction. It was also found that the CNW composite exhibited a ca. 5 times higher rate of crystal violet degradation than pristine constituents. Moreover, this composite catalyst could remove other pharmaceutical waste efficiently and could be successfully reused 15 times with 9.6 % deactivation. The augmented activity of CNW composite was endorsed by the synergistic interfacial interaction among the constituents, promoting better electron-hole pair separation and charge transfer. It emphasizes the ability of CeO2@C3N4/WO3 composites prepared by a facile physical mixing of individual components for energy-efficient photocatalysis using white LED light, suggesting a sustainable and effective methodology for environmental remedy and water treatment applications.

Development of new adsorbents for the efficient removal of organic pollutants from water is one of the most emerging environmental issues. Current studies in this field focus on improving the adsorption capacity of various materials and/or broadening the pH range in which the adsorbents can efficiently remove target pollutants. In this study, we designed bifunctional hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) containing both carbonyl and amine species to investigate the effect of amine functional groups on the efficiency of adsorptive removal of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from water. We revealed that post-synthesis functionalization of carbonyl-rich HCPs with amine species does not have a significant impact on the adsorption capacity of these polymers under strongly acidic conditions (pH < 4; q(e) similar to 544 mg/g), but significantly extends the pH range in which bifunctional polymers can adsorb diclofenac. For example, at native pH (pH similar to 6), bifunctional HCP-based adsorbents exhibited an adsorption capacity approximately 8 times higher than that of pristine materials (q(e) = 191 vs. 24 mg/g, respectively). Furthermore, it was revealed that the adsorbents designed in this study can efficiently remove diclofenac from complex water matrices and exhibit high stability in several adsorption-desorption cycles. Moreover, we demonstrated that selecting a cross-linker with a longer chain results in a polymer with a lower surface area and smaller average pore size, while enabling higher efficiency in amine incorporation via post-synthesis functionalization. This latter feature was crucial for ensuring the high adsorption capacity of HCP-based adsorbents in the removal of NSAID at neutral pH.

This study is aimed at unraveling the catalytic activity of cobalt(II) ammonium phosphate (NH4CoPO4) in activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and degradation of various antibiotics. It was found that NH4CoPO4 enabled swift and efficient removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP) at a high initial concentration (30 mg/L) using very low catalyst loading (10 mg/L) in just several minutes of the reaction. The CIP degradation rate in the presence of NH4CoPO4 was approximately 3.5 times higher than that observed for the well-known and highly active Co3O4 catalyst (k = 0.121 vs. 0.031 min-1, respectively). Catalytic tests with the use of reactive oxygen species scavengers revealed that the primary oxidizing agent responsible for degradation of CIP were cobalt(IV)-oxo species. It was also established that NH4CoPO4 could efficiently degrade CIP even in environmental water samples (e.g., river water). This study contributes to a better understanding of the reactivity of NH4CoPO4 in the degradation of antibiotic pollutants.

This study aligns with microwave-assisted selective oxidation processes using H2O2 as an environmentally relevant oxidant over heterogeneous gold-based catalysts. The research is focused on assessing the influence of the gold deposition method on the surface properties and catalytic behavior of Au/CePO4 catalysts in the selective oxidation of glucose. A significant part of the study involved also unraveling the nature of active sites and species involved in the oxidation process. For this purpose, three gold deposition methods were applied for the synthesis of Au/CePO4 catalysts, namely deposition-reduction (DR), deposition-precipitation with urea (DPU), and anchoring of gold species on functionalized support (grafting; GR). Au/CePO4-GR was found to significantly outperform the other two materials in terms of H2O2 decomposition efficiency and glucose oxidation. This catalyst enabled highly efficient glucose conversion to gluconic acid in a short reaction time (90% glucose conversion in 20 min, at 120 degrees C) and could be successfully reused without any significant deactivation. The observed enhancement in the reactivity of Au/CePO4-GR was attributed to its strong surface acidity and the smallest size of gold particles. Furthermore, Au/CePO4-GR exhibited approximately 1.5 times higher activity in glucose oxidation than commercial Au/TiO2 (Mintek), despite its lower efficiency in H2O2 decomposition.

Supported gold nanoparticles are widely used active oxidation catalysts, however, their efficiency and stability vastly depend on the type of supports utilized. This study aims to unravel the potential application of cerium(III) phosphate as a new support for gold catalysts for selective oxidation of glucose under base-free conditions. Particular interest was directed to: i) the identification of the key factors that promote high activity of supported gold species, ii) the optimization of reaction conditions to assess the impact of catalyst loading and reaction time/ temperature on the efficiency of glucose oxidation, and iii) the elucidation of the stability of Au/CePO4 catalyst in several reaction cycles. The results show that Au/CePO4 exhibits unique surface properties that enable obtaining of much higher activity of gold species in glucose oxidation compared to other well-known metal oxide-based systems. Precisely, it was found that the TOF value calculated for Au/CePO4 was ca. 2.5 times higher than in the case of Au/CeO2 (TOF = 5846 vs. 2309 h- 1, respectively), and ca. 1.5 times higher than that observed for Au/TiO2 (Mintek, TOF = 3839 h- 1). The presented results facilitate the development of more active and highly selective supported gold catalysts for oxidation of biomass-derived platform molecules (e.g., glucose).

The design of adsorbents capable of selectively removing antibiotic pollutants from environmentally relevant water matrices is one of the most emerging environmental issues. This study fits this research trend and presents a series of phosphate-containing hyper-cross-linked polymers (P-HCPs), synthesized by crosslinking of two aromatic building blocks: 4,4 '-bis(chloromethyl)-1,1 '-biphenyl (BCMB) and diphenyl phosphate (DPP), as promising adsorbents for the elimination of tetracycline (TC) from water. The primary goal of the study was to unravel the role of BCMB and DPP molar ratio selected during the polymer synthesis in controlling the physicochemical properties and adsorption capacity (qe) of the resulting materials. A significant part of the study also covers assessing the adsorption mechanism and kinetics. It was found that the most efficient P-HCP exhibited ca. 1.5 times higher adsorption capacity than the polymer without phosphate species (qe = 330 vs. 216 mg/g, respectively), despite its remarkably lower BET surface area. This optimal phosphate-containing polymer was also highly selective in the elimination of tetracycline from complex water matrices, even at trace concentration of the TC antibiotic (50 mu g/L) and in the presence of significantly higher concentrations of competing cations and naturally occuring organic matter in water samples. Analysis of the adsorption mechanism revealed that the enhanced adsorption efficiency of best-performing material resulted from the optimal compromise between its surface area and loading of phosphate species, which were recognized as the main adsorption sites owing to ionic interactions and/or hydrogen bonding with the antibiotic.

This work aims to unravel the potential of copper(II) phosphate as a new promising heterogenous catalyst for the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in the presence of H 2 O 2 and/or visible light (λ > 400 nm). For this purpose, copper(II) phosphate was prepared by a facile precipitation method and fully characterized. Of our particular interest was the elucidation of the kinetics of CIP degradation on the surface of this heterogeneous catalyst, identification of the main reactive oxygen species responsible for the oxidative degradation of CIP, and the evaluation of the degradation pathways of this model antibiotic pollutant. It was found that the degradation of the antibiotic proceeded according to the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Copper(II) phosphate exhibited ca. 7 times higher CIP degradation rate in a Fenton-like process than commercial CuO (0.00155 vs. 0.00023 min −1 , respectively). Furthermore, the activity of this metal phosphate could be significantly improved upon exposure of the reaction medium to visible light (reaction rate = 0.00445 min −1 ). In a photo-assisted Fenton-like process, copper(II) phosphate exhibited the highest activity in CIP degradation from among all reference samples used in this study, including CuO, Fe 2 O 3 , CeO 2 and other metal phosphates. The main active species responsible for the degradation of CIP were hydroxyl radicals.

The global market for organic esters was estimated at around $89.4 billion in 2022, and is expected to continue to grow, reaching $127.4 billion in 2029. The wide application of mineral acids as homogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of organic esters causes several economic and environmental problems. For this reason, a lot of effort is undertaken to make esterification a more sustainable process. Nowadays, particular attention is paid to the development of new solid acid catalysts containing sulfonic acid groups (–SO3H) supported on organic polymers. This study fits into this scientific trend and aims at providing insight into the factors affecting the reactivity of –SO3H species anchored on hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs). For this purpose, polymers characterized by different cross-linking densities but with a comparable surface area of ca. 540-620 m2/g and a similar pore size of ca. 3.7 nm were applied as supports for anchoring of –SO3H through post-synthetic sulfonation. The loading of sulfonic acid species in all prepared catalysts varied from 1.19 to 2.22 mmol/g. Catalytic activity of the sulfonated HCPs (sHCPs) was evaluated in esterification of acetic acid with different alcohols. It was found that the key factors affecting the reactivity of –SO3H supported on HCPs are hydrophilicity of the polymer surface and the localization of the sulfonic acid species on the external surface of the polymer matrix. The latter was the most favoured during the post-synthetic sulfonation of the polymer characterized by the highest cross-linking density. In the case of this material, the –SO3H species were approximately 7 times more reactive than those of Amberlyst-15 (TOF = 11.36 vs. 1.57 h-1, respectively). The most efficient sHCP used in this study reached approximately two times higher conversion of n-butanol than Amberylst-15 (53.6 vs. 27.5%) despite of the significantly lower loading of sulfonic acid species in the former polymer (2.22 vs. 4.66 mmol/g, respectively). It was also established that the catalytic esterification on the surface of sHCPs proceeded according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, in which chemisorption of the alcohol is the rate-determining step. Moreover, sHCP catalysts could be reused four times without significant deactivation.

Nowadays, niobium pentoxide (niobia) is attracting increasing interest as a promising component of heterogeneous catalysts addressed to oxidative degradation of organic pollutants. Particular attention is directed toward understanding the reactivity of this metal oxide in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). To date, many authors have reported that Nb2O5 is capable of degrading various organic molecules both upon exposure to UV light (photocatalytic processes) and/or in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. However, the mechanism of H2O2 activation on niobia-based catalysts was found to be different from that previously established for other transition metal oxides known for their ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) through Fenton-like mechanism. This short review aims at summarizing recent advances in understanding the reactivity of Nb2O5based catalysts in catalytic activation of H2O2 and degradation of various organic pollutants (e.g. organic dyes, antibiotics and organosulfur compounds). Particular attention is paid to the description of mechanism of H2O2 activation and organics degradation, unraveling the relationship between surface properties and reactivity of Nb2O5 in activation of H2O2 as well as pointing out recent approaches to improve the reactivity of niobia-based nanomaterials in degradation of selected organic pollutants in the presence of H2O2.

In recent decades, there has been notable interest in understanding the influence of the support composition on the reactivity of gold species in oxidation processes. This study fits in with this scientific trend and investigates the effects of incorporating phosphate ions into Au catalysts supported on mixed iron-niobium oxides in methanol oxidation. All materials were thoroughly characterized using XRD, ICP-OES, DR-UV–Vis, N2 physisorption, HRTEM, HAADF-STEM, SEM-EDX, XPS, TPD-NH3, TPD-CO2, and in situ FTIR combined with adsorption of NO. Activity of the catalysts was evaluated using a fixed-bed flow reactor combined with gas chromatography and operando FTIR-MS system. It was observed that the phosphate-doped catalyst supported on mixed Fe-Nb oxide exhibited significantly higher activity than phosphate-free sample. This improvement resulted from increased electron mobility, enhanced acidity, and optimized distribution of gold nanoparticles on the former catalyst. Knowledge resulting from this work can lead to the development of more efficient gold catalysts.

This study aims at the development of novel and highly sulfonated hyper -cross -linked polymers (sHCPs) using facile and one-step synthetic approach, and verification of the potential applicability of the as -synthesized polymers in the adsorptive removal of various antibiotic pollutants under environmentally relevant conditions. The sHCPs synthesized in this work were capable of highly efficient removal of antibiotic pollutants at relatively high (30 mg/L) and low (50 mu g/L) initial concentrations, both from a simple as well as complex water matrices. The rate of ciprofloxacin removal and the adsorption capacity observed for the most efficient adsorbent (q e = 757.7 mg/g) were found to be approximately twice higher than that established for other previously reported sulfonated polymers prepared via post -synthetic sulfonation (q e = 476.9 mg/g), and commercial polymerbased adsorbents (e.g. Amberlyst-15, q e = 438.5 mg/g). The highest adsorption capacity was observed at pH close to neutral for polar antibiotic pollutants that contain protonated functional groups and exist in cationic or zwitterion form (e.g. ciprofloxacin and tetracycline). The reported results clearly imply that highly sulfonated hyper -cross -linked polymers are promising candidates for potential practical application for the elimination of organic pollutants from aqueous media, being capable of selective removal of various antibiotics via ionic interaction even in the presence of a great excess of other cations, anions and organic matter naturally existing in environmentally relevant water samples (e.g. river water).

Nowadays, niobium pentoxide (niobia) is attracting increasing interest as a promising component of heterogeneous catalysts addressed to oxidative degradation of organic pollutants. Particular attention is directed toward understanding the reactivity of this metal oxide in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). To date, many authors have reported that Nb2O5 is capable of degrading various organic molecules both upon exposure to UV light (photocatalytic processes) and/or in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. However, the mechanism of H2O2 activation on niobia-based catalysts was found to be different from that previously established for other transition metal oxides known for their ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) through Fenton-like mechanism. This short review aims at summarizing recent advances in understanding the reactivity of Nb2O5-based catalysts in catalytic activation of H2O2 and degradation of various organic pollutants (e.g. organic dyes, antibiotics and organosulfur compounds). Particular attention is paid to the description of mechanism of H2O2 activation and organics degradation, unraveling the relationship between surface properties and reactivity of Nb2O5 in activation of H2O2 as well as pointing out recent approaches to improve the reactivity of niobia-based nanomaterials in degradation of selected organic pollutants in the presence of H2O2.

Understanding the factors that affect the reactivity of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) in the catalytic oxidation of organic compounds remains an important issue. Of particular significance is tuning the effect of metal-support interaction toward improving the catalytic performance of Au NPs. The main goal of this study is to provide new insight into the role of the amino-organosilane (APMS) modifier, used for anchoring of gold species on ZnO support, in controlling the reactivity of Au NPs in H2O2 activation and the subsequent catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol. This study reveals that APMS modifier weakens the electronic interaction between ZnO and Au NPs, leading to a lower catalase-like activity toward H2O2 in comparison to that observed for modifier-free gold catalyst of similar size of nanoparticles. As a result, a slower rate of oxygen evolution resulted in higher activity in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol and enabled more efficient utilization of H2O2 under base-free conditions. No radical species were formed during the oxidation reaction, and molecular oxygen formed in situ in the reaction medium was the primary oxidant responsible for the catalytic conversion of benzyl alcohol.