Silver nanoparticles-decorated-Co3O4 porous sheets as efficient catalysts for the liquid-phase hydrogenation reduction of p-Nitrophenol

Developing proper supports for the anchoring of active metals for various applications has been the focus of high interest over the past decades. Herein, we report the facile construction of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) homogeneously decorated on the Co3O4 porous sheets, which can be employed as an efficient and robust catalyst for the liquid-phase hydrogenation reduction of p-Nitrophenol (PNP). The excellent catalytic performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the evenly distributed Ag NPs, the porous structure with high surface area, and the electronic synergy between the Ag NPs and the Co3O4 support. These merits, providing abundant and stable active sites, electron-enhanced area in the interface and fast interfacial electron transfer to the PNP molecules, work in tandem to achieve the good reaction results. In addition, the apparent activation energy was measured, and a Langmuir-Hinshelwood model was suggested for the mechanism of the PNP reduction process. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.