Bifunctional europium(III) and niobium(V)-containing Saponite Clays for the Simultaneous Optical Detection and Catalytic Oxidative Abatement of Blister Chemical Warfare Agents

For the first time, the co-presence in the saponite structure of luminescent Eu(III) and catalytic Nb(V) metal sites was exploited for the simultaneous detection and catalytic abatement of sulfur-containing blister chemical warfare agents. Metal centres were introduced in structural positions of the saponite (in the interlayer space or inside the inorganic framework) following two different synthetic methodologies. The functionalized saponites were able to reveal the presence of a sulfur mustard simulant (2-chloroethyl)ethyl sulfide (CEES) after few seconds of contact time and more than 80% of the substrate was catalytically decomposed after 24 h in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide.