Hybrid Au nanoparticles on Fe3O4@polymer as efficient catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

In this paper, we attempted to synthesize a hybrid nanostructure by the incorporation of Au nanoparticles (NPs) with polymer-coated Fe3O4 microspheres. Also, Au NPs on 3-aminopropyl triethylsilane (APTS)-modified Fe3O4@SiO2 and Fe3O4@polymer microspheres were synthesized to assess the catalytic activity of Au NPs on Fe3O4@polymer microspheres for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. It was found that Au NPs on Fe3O4@polymer catalysts showed higher catalytic activity and recyclability than other APTS-modified catalysts.