Abstract

ERASMUS, Elizabeth. Truncated Edge Cuprous Oxide Cube Architecture for Reduction of Nitrophenols. S.Afr.j.chem. (Online) [online]. 2021, vol.75, pp.106-110. ISSN 1996-840X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/0379-4350/2021/v75a12.

Truncated cubic Cu-oxide nanocrystals with edge lengths of ca. 600 nm were prepared employing the low-cost copper (II) chloride as the precursor. XRD revealed that the truncated cubic Cu-oxide nanocrystals are present in both the Cu^I and Cu⁰ state. XPS characterisation gives insight into the amount of each state present in the as-prepared, oxidised, reduced and recovered catalyst species. The catalytic activity of the truncated cubic Cu-oxide nanocrystals was tested for the reduction of nitrophenols using NaBH₄. After one catalytic cycle of the reduction of 4-nitrophenol, the activity almost halved. The SEM images revealed that the recovered catalyst showed some disfigurement of the structure, and XPS confirmed the reduction of the Cu^I to metallic Cu⁰.

Keywords : Cu-oxide; truncated cubic nanocrystal; nitrophenol; catalysis; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

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