Morphology Controlled CuO Nanostructures for Efficient Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol

Abstract

Catalytic transformation of nitroaromatic compounds in wastewater using nanostructured catalysts is a promising method for wastewater treatment. Here, we report a systematic study on morphology-dependent catalytic activity of CuO nanostructures for efficient reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in water. The morphology of CuO nanostructures was controllably varied from nanorods, nanosheets and hierarchical 3D flower-like structures by simply varying ammonia concentration in a simple wet chemical approach. Catalytic transformation of toxic 4-NP into useful 4-aminophenol by the prepared nanostructured CuO samples were investigated. The impact of morphology on the catalytic activity of nanostructured CuO catalysts was examined. It was observed that hierarchical 3D flower-like CuO catalysts show enhanced catalytic activity as compared to nanorods and nanosheets. The origin of this morphology-dependent catalytic activity of CuO nanostructures is discussed.