Synergetic catalytic effect of Cu2-xSe nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide coembedded in electrospun nanofibers for the reduction of a typical refractory organic compound.

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A new heterogeneous catalytic composite composed of nonstoichiometric Cu2-xSe nanoparticles (NPs) with high copper deficiency and graphene oxide (GO) is prepared by coembedding in electrospun nanofibers of a poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) support, wherein GO in the nanofibers is converted into reduced GO (rGO) via heat treatment. The as-prepared composite Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers have demonstrated superior catalytic activity toward the reduction of a refractory organic compound by taking 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as an example. In the presence of NaBH4, the Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers display a synergetic effect between Cu2-xSe and rGO in PVP nanofibers compared to their independent components or corresponding nanofibers. Furthermore, the Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers exhibit a favorable water-stable property via heat treatment to solidify the hydrophilic PVP matrix, which makes the composite display good reusability, stability in aqueous solution, and separability from a water medium. This work not only presents a direct, convenient, and effective approach to doping semiconductor nanomaterials into polymer nanofibers but also provides fundamental routes for further investigations about the synergetic effect between different materials based on the platform of electrospun nanofibers.