Preparation of magnetic attapulgite nanocomposite for the adsorption of Ag+ and application for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

A magnetic attapulgite nanocomposite grafted crosslinked copolymer (CPSA@MATP) has been prepared via a grafting from technique for the adsorption of Ag+. The results show that the adsorption rate reaches 95% at pH 3 and 80% at 1% NaCl with a 1 mg mL (1) initial concentration of Ag+, respectively. The subsequent treatment of Ag+-loaded CPSA@MATP with NaBH4 leads to chemical reduction of the Ag+ to obtain Ag nanoparticle decorated CPSA@MATP (CPSA@MATP/AgNP). The catalytic activity of the CPSA@MATP/AgNP nanocomposite for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4 is tracked by UV-vis spectroscopy. It is suggested that CPSA@MATP/AgNP exhibits excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH4. Furthermore, MATP@CPSA/AgNP can be easily recycled due to its magnetism. Therefore, the CPSA@MATP nanocomposite has a great potential application in the adsorption of trace precious metal ions, and further can be used as recyclable and low-cost catalytic materials in the area of catalytic reduction due to the high catalytic activity of precious metal nanoparticles and the superparamagnetism of Fe3O4 in the future.