Fabrication of 3D framework of KIT-6 with CuO NPs for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and methylene blue
Sobia Aslam, Fazle Subhan, Zifeng Yan, Amir Zada, Mohammad Ibrahim, Manawwer Alam, Yaseen Muhammad, Zhen Liu
Abstract
Cu-containing catalysts are highly active for catalytic conversion of nitrophenols and azo dyes due to their low cost and high efficiency. However, the activity is dependent on the dispersion and size of Cu nanoparticles (NPs). Herein, well dispersed Cu NPs were formed in the nanoconfinements of KIT-6 via IWI with ultrasonic aid. The materials were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, ICP-OES, XRD, TEM, UV–vis DRS, N 2 adsorption–desorption, and elemental mapping. Characterization results revealed that Cu content up to 10 wt% is highly dispersed with smaller size over KIT-6 and improved the hydrogenation performance. Among tested catalysts, 10Cu/KIT-6 exhibited extraordinary activity for conversion of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) (1506 mmole h −1 g −1 ) and methylene blue (MB) (237 mmole h −1 g −1 ) in water. Catalytic conversion of 4-NP and MB obey pseudo first-order kinetics, and the activity is correlated with excellent characteristics of Cu/KIT-6. Besides, the 10Cu/KIT-6 displayed similar activity after 6th cycles.