Synthesis of novel sonocatalyst Er:YAlO/NbO and its application for sonocatalytic degradation of methamphetamine hydrochloride.

The composited sonocatalyst Er:YAlO/NbO was prepared by ultrasonic dispersion and high temperature calcinations method. The microstructure of Er:YAlO was prepared via sol-gel method and NbO was prepared by hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra, respectively. The sonocatalytic decomposition activity of composite sonocatalyst Er:YAlO/NbO was investigated by using ultrasound as sound source and methamphetamine hydrochloride as the target degradation product. The influences of composite sonocatalyst Er:YAlO/NbO with different ratios, calcination temperature, ultrasonic power, ultrasonic temperature and recycle times were investigated. The results showed that the sonocatalytic degradation rate was 82.17% after 5 h sonocatalytic decomposition under the condition of ultrasonic power of 700 W, frequency of 45 kHz and surrounding temperature of 30 °C. The sonocatalytic degradation ability of composite sonocatalyst for methamphetamine hydrochloride in aqueous solution was still good after recycled five times. The hydroxyl radicals (OH) and holes (h) are identified and hydroxyl radicals (OH) plays a major role during the oxidation process. The experimental results show that sonocatalytic is a new idea for the harmless treatment of amphetamine-type stimulants.