Facile in situ redox synthesis of Au@Fe2O3 nanocomposites with multifunctional catalytic activity

Abstract

Abstract Using freshly synthesized Fe(OH)2 matrix and HAuCl4 as precursor, l-lysine as stabilizer and linker, Au nanoparticles coated onto γ-Fe2O3 substrate were in-situ synthesized at room temperature. The Au@Fe2O3 hybrid composites with small highly dispersed gold particles (∼3 nm) exhibited high catalytic activity towards 4-nitrophenol reduction and the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The results indicated the rate constant for 4-nitrophenol reduction was 5.3 × 10−2 s−1, and displayed efficient catalytic performance in terms of turnover number (TOF) of 134.8 h−1 for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol at 90 ± 1 °C. Furthermore, the facial electrode potential-driven in situ synthesis method paved the way of other metal nanoparticles over Fe2O3.