Fe nanoparticles encapsulated in MOF-derived carbon for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and methyl orange in water

Herein, magnetic C@Fe nanocatalyst was prepared via the direct carbonization of Fe-BDC (benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid) metal organic framework and utilized for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and methyl orange (MO). The nanocatalyst was characterized using VSM, TEM, SEM, EDS, FTIR, XRD and TGA instruments. The nanocatalyst showed excellent catalytic performance and good reusability. The calculated apparent rate constant was 1.34 min(-1) and 0.92 min(-1) for the 4-NP and MO reduction, which is higher than that of numerous previously reported nanocatalysts. Consequently, magnetically recoverable C@Fe nanocatalyst could be considered as a promising nanocatalyst due to their easy preparation and excellent activity.