Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India
Adv. Mater. Lett., 2013, Current Issue, 4 (7), pp 508-521
DOI: 10.5185/amlett.2012.12493
Publication Date (Web): May 01, 2013
Copyright © IAAM-VBRI Press
E-mail: rkakkar@chemistry.du.ac.in
Chemical warfare agents (CWA) have been used in the World Wars and in terrorist attacks, and hence there is an urgent need to find means of their decontamination. Metal oxides offer a rapid means of their disposal, since they contain reactive Lewis acid and basic sites, on which adsorption of the CWA, and subsequent hydrolysis, can take place. Destructive adsorption of CWA on metal oxides yields non-toxic products. Nanoscale metal oxides display enhanced reactive properties toward warfare agents due to their high surface area, large number of highly reactive edges, corner defect sites, unusual lattice planes and high surface to volume ratio. Both experimental and theoretical studies have established that decomposition of nerve agents is facilitated on nanoscale Al2O3, MgO, CaO, TiO2, ZnO and small edge and corner clay mineral fragments. Compared to sulfur mustard, nerve agents are more potent. We first briefly describe their mode of action. Many experimental and theoretical studies have been performed to study their decomposition on various metal oxide surfaces, such as MgO, CaO, Al2O3, TiO2, V2O5, and clay minerals. The results of these studies are reviewed here. Photochemical degradation on TiO2 nanosurfaces has also yielded promising results. Because of the toxicity and risk involved, experimental studies have been mostly confined to the benign simulants, whereas theoretical studies have attempted to compare the real agents with their mimics. These studies establish a qualitative correlation between the G-agents and their simulant DMMP, and, hence, decomposition on metal oxide surfaces can be analyzed by observing the surface chemistry of DMMP on a wide variety of metal oxide surfaces. This review attempts to compile the literature concerning CWA and their simulants.
Perspectives on Published Energy Sources and Smart Energy Supplies
State of Art Review on Nanobubbles
Eggshell Membrane Assisted CdS Nanoparticles for Manganese Removal in Water Treatment
Green Chemistry Synthesis of Nano-Hydroxyapatite using Natural Stabilisers
Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of CaSnO3 and Ca0.98Nd0.02Sn0.98Ti0.02O3 Synthesized using Sol-Gel Method
Phase Change Materials Reinforced with Aluminium Foam for Latent Heat Storage
Influence of Manganese and Copper Doping on Structural and Optical Properties of Chromium Oxide Nanoparticles
Understanding of intriguing metal to semiconductor transition in Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticulates
Flaw Resistance and Mode - I Fracture Energy Redistribution in Bamboo - A Correlation
COVID-19: A Significant Revival Approach - Concurrent Case Study in India
Recent Advances in Biochar Modification for Energy Storage in Supercapacitors: A Review
Viral Evolution of Multiple Coronavirus Genomes on Genomic Index Maps
Solution Combustion Synthesis and Energy Transfer in LaMgAl11O19:Tb3+/Sm3+ Tunable Phosphor
Influence of Fe3O4 and CTABr on the Rate of Degradation of Methylene Blue by H2O2
Effect of Sulfurization Temperature on RF Sputtered MoS2 Thin Film
Fatigue Analysis for Fe-34.5Mn-l0Al-0.76C Tidal Turbine Blades using Rainflow Algorithm
Modelling for the Study of Thermoelastic Properties of Nanoparticles
Potato Starch Edible Films as Environmentally Friendly Carriers for Model Drug: In vitro Release Study