Recent Advances of Magnetite (Fe3O4)-Based Magnetic Materials in Catalytic Applications

• Published in: Magnetochemistry Vol. 9; no. 4; p. 110
• Main Authors: Liu, Mingyue, Ye, Yuyuan, Ye, Jiamin, Gao, Ting, Wang, Dehua, Chen, Gang, Song, Zhenjun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Analysis; Biodiesel fuels; Cancer therapies; Carcinogens; Catalysis; catalyst; Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Catalytic oxidation; Chemical synthesis; Electrocatalysis; Environmental protection; Environmental remediation; Environmental restoration; Enzyme activity; Enzymes; Identification and classification; Iron oxides; Lewis acid; Magnetic fields; Magnetic materials; Magnetic properties; Magnetite; magnetite (Fe3O4); Methods; Microemulsions; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; organic synthesis; Pollutants; Recoverability; Recycling; Remediation; Sustainable development; Toxicity; China
• ISSN: 2312-7481; 2312-7481
• DOI: 10.3390/magnetochemistry9040110

Catalysts play a critical role in producing most industrial chemicals and are essential to environmental remediation. Under the demands of sustainable development, environment protection, and cost-related factors, it has been suggested that catalysts are sufficiently separable and conveniently recyclable in the catalysis process. Magnetite (Fe3O4) nanomaterials provide a possible way to achieve this goal, due to their magnetism, chemical stability, low toxicity, economic viability, etc. Therefore, Fe3O4-based materials are emerging as an important solid support to load heterogeneous catalysts and immobilize homogeneous catalysts. Moreover, the addition of magnetic character to catalysts will not only make their recovery much easier but also possibly endow catalysts with desirable properties, such as magnetothermal conversion, Lewis acid, mimetic enzyme activity, and Fenton activity. The following review comprises a short survey of the most recent reports in the catalytic applications of Fe3O4-based magnetic materials. It contains seven sections, an introduction into the theme, applications of Fe3O4-based magnetic materials in environmental remediation, electrocatalysis, organic synthesis, catalytic synthesis of biodiesel, and cancer treatment, and conclusions about the reported research with perspectives for future developments. Elucidation of the functions and mechanisms of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) in these applications may benefit the acquisition of robust and affordable protocols, leading to catalysts with good catalytic activity and enhanced recoverability.