Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Abstract The catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) is vital for environmental remediation. This study synthesizes and assesses silver-reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) and silver-magnetite-reduced graphene oxide (Ag/Fe2O4/rGO) nanocomposites for 4-NP reduction. Various re...

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Main Authors: Bahareh Kabiri, Hannaneh Heidari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98540-9
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author Bahareh Kabiri
Hannaneh Heidari
author_facet Bahareh Kabiri
Hannaneh Heidari
author_sort Bahareh Kabiri
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) is vital for environmental remediation. This study synthesizes and assesses silver-reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) and silver-magnetite-reduced graphene oxide (Ag/Fe2O4/rGO) nanocomposites for 4-NP reduction. Various reducing agents—ascorbic acid (AA), hydrazine hydrate (HH), sodium borohydride (SBH), and cellulose nanofibers (NFC)—were employed under reflux (R), hydrothermal (H), and ultrasonic (U) conditions. Drying methods (oven-drying (O) and freeze-drying (F)) and CTAB as a stabilizer were explored to optimize Ag NP distribution. The nanocomposites were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, TEM, BET, TGA, ICP-OES, and VSM. XRD confirmed Ag NP formation with crystallite sizes of 12–23 nm. FE-SEM and TEM showed uniform distribution of cubic Fe2O4 and spherical Ag NPs (approximately 50 nm) on GO. The Ag/Fe2O4/rGO(O)-AA-U-F nanocomposite demonstrated the highest catalytic activity, with a pseudo-first-order rate constant (k) of 1.81 min−1 and a specific activity parameter (k') of 180.77 min−1.g−1. This nanocomposite exhibited a mesoporous structure with a high specific surface area (226.9 m2/g) and uniform Ag and Fe2O4 nanoparticle distribution on rGO. The combination of ascorbic acid (AA) and freeze-drying (F) yielded nanocomposites with superior catalytic performance due to their porous structure and uniform nanoparticle dispersion.
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spelling doaj-art-77a90d934c4a46b9bcf90708d2e97dd82025-08-20T02:20:25ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115112010.1038/s41598-025-98540-9Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenolBahareh Kabiri0Hannaneh Heidari1Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Alzahra UniversityDepartment of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Alzahra UniversityAbstract The catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) is vital for environmental remediation. This study synthesizes and assesses silver-reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) and silver-magnetite-reduced graphene oxide (Ag/Fe2O4/rGO) nanocomposites for 4-NP reduction. Various reducing agents—ascorbic acid (AA), hydrazine hydrate (HH), sodium borohydride (SBH), and cellulose nanofibers (NFC)—were employed under reflux (R), hydrothermal (H), and ultrasonic (U) conditions. Drying methods (oven-drying (O) and freeze-drying (F)) and CTAB as a stabilizer were explored to optimize Ag NP distribution. The nanocomposites were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, TEM, BET, TGA, ICP-OES, and VSM. XRD confirmed Ag NP formation with crystallite sizes of 12–23 nm. FE-SEM and TEM showed uniform distribution of cubic Fe2O4 and spherical Ag NPs (approximately 50 nm) on GO. The Ag/Fe2O4/rGO(O)-AA-U-F nanocomposite demonstrated the highest catalytic activity, with a pseudo-first-order rate constant (k) of 1.81 min−1 and a specific activity parameter (k') of 180.77 min−1.g−1. This nanocomposite exhibited a mesoporous structure with a high specific surface area (226.9 m2/g) and uniform Ag and Fe2O4 nanoparticle distribution on rGO. The combination of ascorbic acid (AA) and freeze-drying (F) yielded nanocomposites with superior catalytic performance due to their porous structure and uniform nanoparticle dispersion.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98540-9Ag/Fe3O4/rGO nanocompositeCatalytic reduction4-NP
spellingShingle Bahareh Kabiri
Hannaneh Heidari
Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol
Scientific Reports
Ag/Fe3O4/rGO nanocomposite
Catalytic reduction
4-NP
title Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol
title_full Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol
title_fullStr Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol
title_full_unstemmed Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol
title_short Synthesis and catalytic activity of silver- reduced graphene oxide and silver- magnetite- reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol
title_sort synthesis and catalytic activity of silver reduced graphene oxide and silver magnetite reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites in the reduction of 4 nitrophenol
topic Ag/Fe3O4/rGO nanocomposite
Catalytic reduction
4-NP
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98540-9
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AT hannanehheidari synthesisandcatalyticactivityofsilverreducedgrapheneoxideandsilvermagnetitereducedgrapheneoxidenanocompositesinthereductionof4nitrophenol