Polyoxometalates for bifunctional applications: Catalytic dye degradation and anticancer activity

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Environmental Chemistry
• Biomedical Science

Background:

• Catalytic degradation of organic compounds is crucial for environmental remediation.
• Developing efficient and safe catalytic materials remains a significant challenge.
• Polyoxometalates (POMs) offer tunable properties for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel cobalt-based polyoxometalates (CoV-POMs) using a facile self-assembly method.
• To investigate the catalytic efficiency of CoV-POMs in activating peroxymonosulphate (PMS) for dye degradation.
• To evaluate the biological properties of CoV-POMs, including their toxicity and anticancer potential.

Main Methods:

• Crystallization-driven self-assembly for CoV-POM synthesis.
• Catalytic degradation experiments using Methylene Blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RB), Phenol Red (PR), and Methyl Orange (MO) dyes.
• pH-dependent degradation studies and radical quenching tests.
• In vitro cytotoxicity assays on normal cells and cancer cell lines (A549, MDA-MB-231).

Main Results:

• CoV-POMs effectively activated PMS for complete degradation of MB and RB dyes within 60 minutes.
• Degradation efficiency was pH-dependent, decreasing at higher pH values.
• Sulfate radicals were identified as the primary active species in dye degradation.
• CoV-POMs demonstrated non-toxicity to normal cells and significant anticancer activity against lung and breast adenocarcinoma cell lines.
• The anticancer effect is attributed to induced cellular apoptosis.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized bifunctional CoV-POMs exhibit excellent catalytic activity for dye degradation.
• CoV-POMs show promising non-toxicity and potent anticancer properties.
• These materials hold potential for large-scale wastewater treatment and cancer therapy applications.