Homogeneous magnetic Ag-Au alloy microparticles for ultrasensitive catalytic reduction of aromatic nitro compounds

We report a novel kind of homogeneous magnetic Ag-Au Alloy microparticles synthesized by facile one-pot method. The hybrid bimetallic alloy microparticles present relatively uniform spherical shape and homogeneous structure. In the interior and surface of the particles, the elements tend to distribute evenly without a distinct two-phase interface. The unique morphology allows the bimetallic magnetic alloy microparticles to show high stability compared with traditional heterogeneous magnetic bimetallic microparticles. Especially, after a certain degree of corrosion by inorganic acid, the as-synthesized magnetic Ag-Au alloy particles exhibited ultrasensitive catalytic activity for the transition of nitro to amino group. The rate constant of catalytic reduction increased tens of times from 0. 147 to 4. 705 after corrosion due to synergistic effect. This study provides a general strategy for fabricating higher active multi-metallic alloy catalyst for conversion of aromatic nitro compounds which is of great significance for organic synthesis and environmental remediation. The classical model towards reduction of P-nitrophenol by NaBH4 was selected to investigate the catalytic performance of the magnetic Ag-Au alloy microparticles.