Abstract
A facile approach was successfully developed for synthesis of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)-supported magnetic CuFe2O4@Ag@ZIF-8 nanospheres which consist of a paramagnetic CuFe2O4@Ag core and porous ZIF-8 shell. The CuFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were first prepared in the presence of CNC and dispersant. Ag NPs were then deposited on the CuFe2O4/CNC composites via an in situ reduction directed by dopamine polymerization (PDA). The CuFe2O4/CNC@Ag@ZIF-8 nanocomposite was characterized by TEM, FTIR, XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, VSM, and XPS. Catalytic studies showed that the CuFe2O4/CNC@Ag@ZIF-8 catalyst had much higher catalytic activity than CuFe2O4@Ag catalyst with the rate constant of 0.64 min−1. Because of the integration of ZIF-8 with CuFe2O4/CNC@Ag that combines the advantaged of each component, the nanocomposites were demonstrated to have an enhanced catalytic activity in heterogeneous catalysis. Therefore, these results demonstrate a new method for the fabrication of CNC-supported magnetic core-shell catalysts, which display great potential for application in biocatalysis and environmental chemistry.
Highlights
Functional nanocomposites represent an important class of nanomaterials and have attracted increased research interest due to their superior properties compared with individual components [1].As an important member of nanocomposites family, the magnetic nanocatalyst is very attractive because it provides a convenient way to remove and recycle the nanocatalyst from the reaction system [2]
The general schemes for the synthesis of the CuFe2 O4 /Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)@Ag@ZIF-8 nanocomposites are illustrated in Scheme 1, which mainly involved three steps: (1) Firstly, one-pot solvothermal synthesis of cellulose nanocrystals supports CuFe2 O4 NPs, and the network of cellulose nanocrystals can significantly enhance the dispersion stability
Ag NPs with sizes ranging from 20 to 30 nm in sphere shapes can be uniformly formed along the CuFe2 O4 and CNC networks surface with the aid of adhesive and reductive PDA layer under alkaline conditions
Summary
Functional nanocomposites represent an important class of nanomaterials and have attracted increased research interest due to their superior properties compared with individual components [1]. As an important member of nanocomposites family, the magnetic nanocatalyst is very attractive because it provides a convenient way to remove and recycle the nanocatalyst from the reaction system [2]. Fe3+ ions located among A and B sites, has high thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability and versatile catalytic, electric, and magnetic properties, and it exhibits promise for applications in electronics, lithium ion batteries, sensors, catalysis, and diagnostic medicine [3,4]. As reported in our previous research [12], the CuFe2 O4 /CNC nanocomposites show good dispersity and it has been suggested that the nanocomposites do catalyze 4-NP reduction
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