Synthesis of an Ag@AgCl catalyst with amorphous copper as the support and its catalytic performance in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Abstract

The support used in a composite catalyst has an important influence on the catalytic performance of the catalyst. Amorphous metals have good electron-transfer properties and the presence of defect structures on the surface will introduce additional active sites and should be excellent catalyst supports. In this study, an Ag@AgCl composite catalyst with amorphous Cu (a-Cu) as the support is prepared by a two-step precipitation method at room temperature and a light irradiation reduction method. Compared to the Ag@AgCl and a-Cu, the catalytic rate of the Ag@AgCl/a-Cu composite catalytic rate was 2.04 times and 6.69 times faster during the reduction of 4-NP in NaBH4 aqueous solution. The high-performance catalytic efficiency and reusability of Ag@AgCl/a-Cu may be attributed to the synergistic effect between Ag@AgC and amorphous metal elements. This work may provide an effective reference for the synthesis of high activity catalysts using amorphous metals as supports.

Ni nanoparticles‐loaded ZnO nanowire as an efficient and stable catalyst for reduction of 4‐nitrophenol

“…The nanowire structure can also effectively prevent Ni nanoparticles from agglomeration. Compared with the crystalline counterpart, the amorphous Ni has more structural defects and low‐coordination sites, such as edges, defects, and links, which may also lead to the enhanced catalytic activity 57–60 . These features certainly affect the catalytic rate of Ni‐ZnO NWA@SSM.…”