Synthesis and Characterization of rGO@ZnO Nanocomposites for Esterification of Acetic Acid

Abstract

In the present work, the aim is to synthesize reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and zinc:reduced graphene oxide composite catalysts (ZnO:rGO) for esterification of acetic acid with n-heptanol. The physical and chemical characteristics of the rGO and rGO-metal oxide composite catalysts such as textural surface characteristics, surface morphology, thermal stability, functional groups, and elemental analysis were studied. The surface areas of rGO, ZnO(0.5 M), and ZnO(1 M) were recorded, respectively, at 31.72, 27.65, and 36.19 m2 g–1. Furthermore, esterification reaction parameters such as the reaction time, catalyst dosage, and reaction temperature for acetic acid were optimized to check the feasibility of rGO-metal oxide composites for a better conversion percentage of acetic acid. The optimized catalyst was selected for further optimization, and the optimum reaction parameters found were 0.1 wt % of catalyst, 160 min reaction duration, and 100 °C reaction temperature with a maximal yield of 100%. At 110 °C, the reaction conducted in the presence of 0.1 g of catalyst displayed more yield than the uncatalyzed reaction.

Electrospun Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Based Dressings Containing GO/ZnO Nanocomposites: A Novel Frontier in Antibacterial Wound Care

“…The results show that the elemental mass percent of Zn increased proportionally with its w / w proportion for the GO/ZnO nanocomposites. In addition, this analysis proved that both nanocomposites were successfully synthesized due to the presence of Zn, O, and C [ 31 ]. The carbon composition of GO/ZnO_1:1 was slightly lower due to the higher distribution of ZnO on the surface of GO, which was also shown in the microscopy analyses using TEM ( Figure S1 ).…”

“…In the case of GO, the first decomposition (100–150 °C) corresponded to the removal of physically adsorbed water molecules and the breakdown and loss of labile oxygen functionality groups. The second significant weight loss from 150 to 300 °C was due to the further decomposition of the oxygen-containing functional groups and to the carbon combustion [ 31 , 32 ]. The TGA profile of ZnO nanoparticles reveals a weight loss of 8% at about 150–260 °C, attributed to removing moisture content.…”

Inhibition of α‐glucosidase activity by curcumin loaded on ZnO@rGO nanocarrier for potential treatment of diabetes mellitus

“…It should be highlighted that ZnO nanoparticles were immobilized on rGO through the interaction with the functional groups of rGO, which effectively reduced the glomeration of ZnO nanoparticles in the composite contrasted to the pure ZnO nanoparticles. The decoration of ZnO nanoparticles on rGO sheets also created voids and cavities in the ZnO@rGO composite that could provide more accessible active sites for enhanced Cur loading performance (Figure 3g–h) [28]. After 28 days of continuous monitoring, the UV–vis absorption spectrum of ZnO@rGO‐Cur hardly changed, indicating that the complex was stable at 4°C (Figure S1).…”

Fabrication of a Fully Printed Ammonia Gas Sensor Based on ZnO/rGO Using Ultraviolet–Ozone Treatment

“…Figure 3 a displays the XRD patterns of GO, rGO, ZnO, and ZnO/rGO, respectively. GO exhibits a high-intensity peak at 2θ = 10.96°, which can be attributed to the (001) plane [ 30 , 31 ]. Upon reduction from GO to rGO, the peak intensity decreases with a slight shift.…”