Catalysis using gold nanoparticles decorated on nanocrystalline cellulose.
A novel nanocomposite was prepared by deposition of carbonate-stabilized Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto the surface of poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA)-coated carboxylated nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). The hybrid material possessed AuNPs (1.45% by weight) with an average diameter of 2.95 ± 0.06 nm. The catalytic activity of AuNP/PDDA/NCC for reducing 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol was compared to other Au-supported composites. An activation energy of 69.2 kJ mol(-1) was obtained for the reaction. Indeed, the reaction rate constant k of (5.1 ± 0.2) × 10(-3) s(-1) was comparable to the benchmark literature value obtained using AuNPs (<5 nm in diameter) decorated on a network of crystalline cellulose fibers. Our strategy promotes the use of natural resources to prepare reusable hybrid inorganic-organic materials for important reactions with facilitated product isolation/purification.
Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, H4P 2R2, Canada.
Edmond
E
Lam
Sabahudin
S
Hrapovic
Ehsan
E
Majid
Jonathan H
JH
Chong
John H T
JH
Luong