In Situ Synthesis of Ag–Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Immobilized on Pure Cellulose Microspheres as Recyclable and Biodegradable Catalysts

Abstract

The preparation of reusable and eco-friendly materials from renewable biomass resources such as cellulose is an inevitable choice for sustainable development. In this work, cellulose was dissolved in 7 wt % NaOH/12 wt % urea aqueous solution at −12 °C with rapid stirring. Cellulose microspheres (Cels) were fabricated by a sol–gel transition method. Subsequently, novel magnetic Ag–Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) supported on cellulose microspheres were successfully constructed by an in situ one-pot synthesis. The magnetic cellulose microspheres (MCels) displayed a spherical shape with mesoporous structure and had a narrow particle size distribution (10–20 μm). Many nanopores with a pore diameter of 5–40 nm were observed in MCels. The Ag–Fe3O4 NPs were immobilized by anchoring with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of Cels. MCels were applied as a microreactor to evaluate their catalytic activities. 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) could be reduced to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) in 5 min, catalyzed by MCels. Moreover, the magnetic microspheres exhibited a small hysteresis loop and low coercivity. Thus, MCels could be quickly gathered in water under a magnetic field in 10 s, as well as almost 9 cycle times, maintaining relatively high catalytic activity. In this work, cellulose matrix as the catalyst support could be biodegraded completely in the environment. It provided a green process for the utilization of biomass in nanocatalytic applications.