Silica-Coated Magnetic Nanocomposite Decorated with Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles for the Potential Application as a Catalytic Agent
نویسندگان
1 Department of Chemistry, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, I.R. IRAN
2 Department of Chemistry, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, I.R. IRAN
3 Zanjan Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology Research Center (ZPNRC), Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, I.R. IRAN
4 Chemistry Faculty, University of Mazandaran, Mazandaran, I.R. IRAN
5 Department of Pharmaceutical Biomaterials, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, I.R. IRAN
doi
10.30492/ijcce.2025.2047043.6911چکیده
In the present study, magnetite nanoparticles were first coated with silica nanoparticles (Fe3O4/SiO2) shells. Next, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were successfully decorated on the surface of the Fe3O4/SiO2 nanocomposites (Fe3O4/SiO2/Ag). Fe3O4/SiO2 and Ag NPs were synthesized via a typical hydrothermal procedure and a green-friendly approach. An aqueous extract of garden cress leaves (Lepidium sativum) was used to prepare Ag-NPs. The obtained Fe3O4/SiO2/Ag nanocomposites were examined by analysis assays including Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) analysis, Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Further, the Fe3O4/SiO2/Ag nanocomposites were investigated for catalytic activity through the reduction reaction using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a reductant agent. In the typical reaction, 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was reduced to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) by using Fe3O4/SiO2/Ag as a catalyst. The kinetic modeling of the reduction process revealed that a pseudo-first-order equation best described the reduction reaction pattern. We found that the Fe3O4/SiO2/Ag catalyst can be directly removed from the reaction medium by an external magnet. Notably, the separated Fe3O4/SiO2 /Ag can be used as a catalyst for several reactions. The effective reuse of the Fe3O4/SiO2/Ag catalyst was achieved up to four times, with about 85% of recovery under our experiments.
