Work

One-Pot Synthesis of Structurally Tunable Ag@Fe3O4 Nanoreactors for Ultra-Efficient and Magnetically Recyclable Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The catalytic reduction of toxic 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) to valuable 4-aminophenol is highly important for environmental remediation. However, developing catalysts with high activity, good recyclability, and facile preparation remains challenging. Herein, Ag@Fe3O4 nanocomposites were controllably synthesized with a facile one-pot polyol method. By varying the Ag:Fe precursor ratio, the structure could be tuned from dense and porous core-shell to Janus architectures. The porous Ag@Fe3O4 nanoreactors (Ag:Fe-0.4) exhibited exceptional catalytic performance, achieving complete 4-NP reduction within 75 s, with an apparent rate constant (k) of 6.29 × 10−2 s−1, a normalized rate constant (kn) of 3742 s−1 mmol−1, and a TOF value of 1042 h−1. XPS results verified that the excellent activity originated from the porous structure and interfacial charge transfer from Ag to Fe3O4. The catalysts showed super-paramagnetism and could be reused for at least eight cycles with >95% conversion retained. It also displayed high efficiency in reducing diverse nitroaromatics and in natural water. This work highlights the significance of structural and electronic modulation, providing a scalable strategy for magnetically recyclable catalysts toward environmental remediation and heterogeneous catalysis.

Source: Catalysts

DOI: 10.3390/catal16050445

Authors: Sihui Song, Chunting Li, Sadaf Mutahir, Muhammad Asim Khan, Feng Yan

Institution: Linyi University

Language: English

Topic: Nanomaterials for catalytic reactions

Subfield: Organic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,654