Magnetic Fe₃O₄/Graphene Oxide/Copper-Based Nanocomposite as a Reusable Catalyst for the Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol.

Abstract

In the present investigation, Fe₃O₄/Graphene oxide/Pr-NH₂-CuII was reported as a novel magnetically recoverable nanocomposite and characterized using various analytical techniques such as FT-IR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The catalytic performance of the synthesized catalyst was evaluated in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by an excess amount of sodium borohydride as the source of hydrogen in aqueous solution. The reaction was monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy at ambient temperature. Magnetic nature of the catalyst led to its simple recovery by a permanent magnet and excellent recyclability without appreciable loss of the catalytic activity.