Microwell Confined Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Honeycomblike Carbon Spheres for the Adsorption of Sb(III) and Sequential Utilization as a Catalyst

The composites of mesoporous carbon nanospheres with iron oxides (mPCS@Fe2O3) have been developed for the removal of antimony in water. The good performance of mPCS@Fe2O3 is attributed to the honeycomblike structure, which is composed of active Fe2O3 particles dispersedly confined in the microtunnel of the carbon nanospheres. This adsorbent takes advantage of the high adsorption capacity and ease of preparation. It provides a high removal rate for low concentrated Sb(III) and high removal capacity for high concentrated Sb(III). Furthermore, the used adsorbent has been developed into a catalyst for the transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes, and the catalyst exhibited good activity and inherited magnetic recyclability. This has proven to be a promising way to avoid secondary pollution.