Conformally anchoring nanocatalyst onto quartz fibers enables versatile microreactor platforms for continuous-flow catalysis

Continuous-flow microreactors offer increased reactivity and reusability via unique reaction pathways to address a wide range of practical nanocatalysis problems. However, only limited platforms exist to employ these microreactors for versatile nanocatalytic reactions. In this work, we conformally anchored nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheets onto quartz fibers (QFs), which exhibited a high catalytic activity using the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a model reaction in a batch reaction study. More importantly, we demonstrated that fiber-based QF@NiO composites (e.g., cotton, fabric, belt, felt) can be integrated as versatile platforms to develop microreactors for continuous-flow catalytic applications including hydrogenation reactions and dye-catalyzed degradation. This fiber-based three-dimensional (3D) nanocatalyst architecture effectively drives continuous-flow catalytic reactions with unprecedented efficiency due to the easy diffusion of reactant molecules into the fibrous structure, allowing contact with catalytic active sites. Our approach to continuous-flow microreactor design uses surface hybridization as a guideline to immobilize nanocatalysts onto the QFs. These QF-based platforms, coupled with rational design, are expected to be applied to a wide range of nanocatalytic reactions.

Automated summary

By anchoring NiO nanosheets onto QFs, high catalytic activity was achieved, demonstrating the potential of fiber-based QF@NiO composites as versatile platforms for developing microreactors for continuous-flow catalytic applications.