Green synthesis of Cu/Al2O3 nanoparticles as efficient and recyclable catalyst for reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, Methylene blue and Congo red

In this paper, for the first time, the extract of the Commersonia bartramia was used for the preparation of Cu nanoparticles (NPs) with a green approach. In this process, the plant extract and nano alumina acts as green reducing agent and eco-friendly benign support, respectively. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize Commersonia bartramia, Cu NPs and Cu/Al2O3 NPs. The catalytic activity of the Cu/Al2O3 NPs was tested for the reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH), Congo red (CR) and Methylene blue (MB) in aqueous medium at room temperature. Cu/Al(2)O(3)NPs was found to be a high active catalyst. In addition, Cu/Al2O3 NPs can be recovered and reused in a reduction reaction several times with no significant loss of its catalytic activity.