We have developed an efficient strategy for synthesizing a strongly coupled Au/Fe3O4/GO hybrid material to improve the catalytic activity, stability, and separation capability of Au nanoparticles (NPs) and Hg(2+). The hybrid material can be synthesized by the direct anchoring of Au and Fe3O4 NPs on the functional groups of GO. This approach affords strong chemical attachments between the NPs and GO, allowing this hybrid material to ultrasensitively detect Hg(2+) in aqueous solutions with a detection limit as low as 0.15 nM. In addition, the deposition of Hg(0) on the surface of Au/Fe3O4/GO could be quickly (within 30 min) and efficiently (>99% elimination efficiency) removed by the simple application of an external magnetic field and then Au/Fe3O4/GO could be subsequently reused at least 15 times, with the elimination efficiency remaining high (>96%).

The catalytic activity of nanocrystal catalysts depends strongly on their chemical composition, size, and shape. Herein, we report four different sizes and shapes of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by a hydrothermal procedure. In addition, the size- and shape-dependent peroxidase-like activity of these NPs was first explored using 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-benzidine and H2O2 as peroxidase substrates. The results showed that the peroxidase-like activities of the MnFe2O4 NPs were size- and shape-dependent and followed the order of 4 nm (spherical) > 18 nm (plate-like) > 27 nm (near-cubic) > 16 nm (spherical); this order was closely related to their surface-to-volume ratio and atom arrangements. Such an investigation is of great significance for peroxidase nanomimetics with enhanced activity and utilization. Furthermore, folic acid (FA)-conjugated MnFe2O4 NPs allow the detection of folate receptor-rich cancer cells. Such investigation can be widely utilized for the identification of important target molecules.

A new precursor-mediated growth of monodisperse magnetic CoFe2O4 NPs with controlled size and shape which exhibit size and shape dependent peroxidase like activity towards TMB in the presence of H2O2.

Low cost, high activity and selectivity, convenient separation, and increased reusability are the main requirements for noble-metal-nanocatalyst-catalyzed reactions. Despite tremendous efforts, developing noble-metal nanocatalysts to meet the above requirements remains a significant challenge. Here we present a general strategy for the preparation of strongly coupled Fe(3)O(4) and palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) to graphene sheets by employing polyethyleneimine as the coupling linker. Transmission electron microscopic images show that Pd and Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles are highly dispersed on the graphene surface, and the mean particle size of Pd is around 3 nm. This nanocatalyst exhibits synergistic catalysis by Pd nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and a tertiary amine of polyethyleneimine (Pd/Fe(3)O(4)/PEI/rGO) for the Tsuji-Trost reaction in water and air. For example, the reaction of ethyl acetoacetate with allyl ethyl carbonate afforded the allylated product in more than 99 % isolated yield, and the turnover frequency reached 2200 h(-1). The yield of allylated products was 66 % for Pd/rGO without polyethyleneimine. The catalyst could be readily recycled by a magnet and reused more than 30 times without appreciable loss of activity. In addition, only about 7.5 % of Pd species leached off after 20 cycles, thus rendering this catalyst safer for the environment.