title: Retraction: Gold nanoparticles immobilized on electrospun titanium dioxide nanofibers for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol.
abstract: This study involves the preparation and catalytic properties of anatase titanium dioxide nanofibers (TiO2 NFs) supported gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) using a model reaction based on the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (NP) into 4-aminophenol (AP) by sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The fabrication of surfactant-free Au NPs was performed using pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique. The TiO2 NFs were fabricated by a combination of electrospinning and calcination process using a solution containing poly(vinyl pyrolidone)(PVP) and titanium isopropoxide. The adsorption efficiency of laser-generated surfactant-free Au NPs to TiO2 NF supports as a function of pH was analyzed. Our results show that the electrostatic interaction mainly controls the adsorption of the nanoparticles. Au NPs/TiO2 NFs composite exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP. The unique combination of these materials leads to the development of highly efficient catalysts. Our heterostructured nanocatalysts possibly form an efficient path to fabricate various metal NP/metal-oxide supported catalysts. Thus the applications of PLAL-noble metal NPs can widely broaden.
authors.affiliation: Selcuk University, Department of Physics, Selcuk University Faculty of Science, Alaeddin Keykubat Campus, 42075, Konya, TURKEY.
authors.forename: Halit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cavusoglu
authors.affiliation: Selcuk University, TURKEY.
authors.forename: Burak Zafer
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Buyukbekar
authors.affiliation: Selcuk University, TURKEY.
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakalak
authors.affiliation: Technical Chemistry I and Center of Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), Essen, Germany, GERMANY.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohsakowski
keywords: electrospinning; gold nanoparticles; nitrophenol reduction; pulsed laser ablation; titanium dioxide nanofibers