Role of Nanocrystallites of Al-Based Glasses and H(2)O(2) in Degradation Azo Dyes

Al-based metallic glasses have a special atomic structure and should have a unique degradation ability in azo dye solutions. The Al(88)Ni(9)Y(3) (Y3), Al(85)Ni(9)Y(6) (Y6) and Al(82)Ni(9)Y(9) (Y9) glassy ribbons are melt spun and used in degrading methyl orange (MO) azo dye solution with adding H(2)O(2). With increasing c(Y), the as-spun ribbons have an increasing GFA (glass formability) and gradually decreased the degradation rate of MO solution. TEM (transmission electron microscopy) results show that the Y3 ribbon has nano-scale crystallites, which may form the channels to transport elements to the surface for degrading the MO solution. After adding H(2)O(2), the degradation efficiency of Al-based glasses is improved and the Y6 ribbon has formed nano-scale crystallites embedded in the amorphous matrix and it has the largest improvement in MO solution degradation. These results indicate that forming nano-scale crystallites and adding H(2)O(2) are effective methods to improve the degradation ability of Al-based glasses in azo dye solutions.