Superoxide Anion Radical: Principle and Application

For a long time, there is much interest in the superoxide anion radical as one of reactive oxygen species (ROS) not only in the basic research field of chemistry and physics but also in the life science (or biotechnology). Recently, it is becoming ever more vital since the toxic property of nanomaterials as well as advanced oxidation processes (AOP) frequently employed for controlling pollutants are connected with the formation of superoxide anion radicals. Despite many researches on superoxide anion radical, the quantitative information of its presence and its detailed reaction mechanism in aqueous environments remains largely unclear, causing the controversy and confusion. In this review paper, we attempted to summarize the physicochemical property, mechanisms, and applications of superoxide anion radical. In addition, we briefly incorporated the important application of superoxide anion radical in AOP, nanomaterials, and life science (or biotechnology).