Development of Efficient Copper-Based MOF-Derived Catalysts for the Reduction of Aromatic Nitro Compounds

Two copper-based Cu-3(btc)(2) and Cu(Im)(2) metal-organic frameworks are synthesized and annealed to form nanoporous Cu/Cu2O@C and Cu@N-C nanoparticles for utilization as catalysts in the reduction reaction of aromatic nitro compounds to aromatic amines. All synthesized MOF compounds and MOF-derived nanoparticles are characterized using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, SEM-EDX, and XPS methods. Also, the pore-size distribution and surface area of the MOF-derived Cu/Cu2O@C and Cu@N-C nanoparticles are characterized by the BJH and BET methods. After characterization, the catalysts Cu/Cu2O@C and Cu@N-C are catalytically tested for the reduction reactions of various aromatic nitro compounds chemically by monitoring with a UV/Vis spectrometer. Both catalysts exhibit remarkable results compared with those in the literature. Also, the Cu/Cu2O@C catalyst shows better results than the Cu@N-C catalyst.