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A Highly Stable Silver Nanoparticle Loaded Magnetic Nanocomposite as a Recyclable Catalysts

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Abstract

The broad application of organic dyes such as 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), rhodamine 6G (R6G), and methylene blue (MB) as raw materials in the manufacture of dyes, explosives, pesticides, preservatives, and pharmaceuticals caused serious damage to the environment, particularly aquatic ecosystems. In this study, silver nanoparticles decorated ZnO/Fe3O4 (Ag/ZnO/Fe3O4) nanocomposite was used as a catalyst to reduce 4-NP, R6G, and MB in the presence of sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. Silver nanoparticles decorated ZnO/Fe3O4 composite was synthesized via a simple and inexpensive chemical reduction method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the particles. The surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) activity of the nanocomposites due to AgNPs was used to monitor catalytic reactions with detailed spectral features using SERS. Thus, the catalytic transformation of 4-nitrothiophenol (4-NTP) into 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) was traced using SERS. The magnetic property of the nanocomposites enables its repeated use. Easy recovery of the particles from the reaction solution was achieved and run for fifteen cycles with no significant loss of its efficiency.

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Acknowledgements

The financial support for this project was obtained from Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) initiation grant (DVC/RDI/2/1/16I (48) that was awarded to MTA and we would like to thank BIUST for the financial assistance. The authors would also like to thank Prof. Amare Gessesse and Prof. Asfawossen Asrat Kassaye for editing the revised manuscript.

Funding

The financial support for this project was obtained from Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) initiation Grant (DVC/RDI/2/1/16I (48).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Science, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Plot 10071, Private Bag 16, Palapye, Botswana

    Melisew Tadele Alula

  2. Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Braunschweig University of Technology, Hans-Sommer-Straße 66, 38106, Brunswick, Germany

    Hendrik Spende

  3. Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Tadele Assefa Aragaw & Adugna Nigatu Alene

  4. Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Belete Asefa Aragaw

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Palapye, Botswana

    Mothusi Madiba

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  1. Melisew Tadele Alula
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  2. Hendrik Spende
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  3. Tadele Assefa Aragaw
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  4. Adugna Nigatu Alene
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  5. Belete Asefa Aragaw
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Contributions

MTA: conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, writing—part of original draft, review & editing. HS: investigation. TAA: writing—review & editing. ANA: writing—part of original draft. BAA: formal analysis, Writing—review & editing. MM: investigation, analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Melisew Tadele Alula.

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Alula, M.T., Spende, H., Aragaw, T.A. et al. A Highly Stable Silver Nanoparticle Loaded Magnetic Nanocomposite as a Recyclable Catalysts. J Clust Sci 34, 2205–2214 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10876-022-02386-4

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