Magnetic polymer microsphere stabilized gold nanocolloids as a facilely recoverable catalyst

Magnetically responsive hierarchical magnetite/silica/poly(ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate-co-4-vinylpyridine) (Fe3O4/SiO2/P(EGDMA-co-VPy)) tri-layer microspheres were used as stabilizers for gold metallic nanocolloids as a facilely recoverable catalyst with the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol as a model reaction. The magnetic microsphere stabilized gold metallic nanocolloids were prepared by in situ reduction of gold chloride trihydrate with borohydride as reductant via the stabilization effect of the pyridyl groups to gold nanoparticles on the surface of the outer shell-layer of the inorganic/polymer tri-layer microspheres.