Swift reduction of nitroaromatics by gold nanoparticles anchored on steam-activated carbon black via simple preparation

Gold (Au) nanoparticles supported on certain platforms display highly efficient activity on nitroaromatics reduction. In this study, steam-activated carbon black (SCB) was used as a platform to fabricate Au/SCB composites via a green and simple method for 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction. The obtained Au/SCB composites exhibit efficient catalytic performance in reduction of 4-NP (rate constant k(app) = 2.1925 min(-1)). The effects of SCB activated under different steam temperature, Au loading amount, pH, and reaction temperature and NaBH4 concentration were studied. The structural advantages of SCB as a platform were analyzed by various characterizations. Especially, the result of N-2 adsorption-desorption method showed that steam activating process could bring higher surface area (from 185.9689 to 249.0053 m(2)/g), larger pore volume (from 0.073268 to 0.165246 cm(3)/g), and more micropore for SCB when compared with initial CB, demonstrating the suitable of SCB for Au NP anchoring, thus promoting the catalytic activity. This work contributes to the fabrication of other supported metal nanoparticle catalysts for preparing different functional nanocomposites for different applications.

Automated summary

In this study, gold nanoparticles supported on steam-activated carbon black (Au/SCB) composites were successfully prepared and showed efficient catalytic performance in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The steam activation process increased the surface area and pore volume of SCB, making it suitable for anchoring Au nanoparticles and promoting catalytic activity. This work contributes to the fabrication of other supported metal nanoparticle catalysts for different functional nanocomposites.