Nicotiana genus: a green and sustainable source for designing of nitrogen-rich efficient carbon nanocomposites for the hydrogenation of nitrophenol and non-enzymatic glucose sensing

Abstract

Transition metals based nitrogen-doped carbon nanocomposites have been envisioned as a potential replacement for precious metal-based nanostructures to catalyze a variety of reactions. Herein, we report the synthesis of a group of nitrogen-doped carbon nanocomposites derived from the Nicotiana genus family plant, e.g. tobacco, a highly nicotine rich entity, and iron nitrate mixture followed by their exploitation for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensing. The controlled study suggests that the pyrolysis of tobacco results in ∼7 at.% of nitrogen doping, an important heteroatom to enhance the catalytic efficiency of nanocomposites. The kinetics of the reduction of 4-NP follow a pseudo-first-order reaction. The time constant is found to increase with the Fe content in the composite owing to the formation of Fe–Nx centers. The separation of a catalyst with the aid of a magnetic field offers a huge add-on to vouch for the recovery of these catalysts. Along with the display of appealing catalytic reduction, its application to non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensing is also demonstrated. Overall, the Nicotiana genus can be used as nitrogen-carbon precursors for designing of targeted N-doped carbon-based composites that could be exploited for various applications.