Bacterial Cellulose Supported Gold Nanoparticles with Excellent Catalytic Properties

Amidoxime surface functionalized bacterial cellulose (AOBC) has been successfully prepared by a simple two-step method without obviously changing the morphology of bacterial cellulose. AOBC has been used as the reducing agent and carrier for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that distributed homogeneously on bacterial cellulose surface. Higher content in amidoxime groups in AOBC is beneficial for the synthesis of AuNPs with smaller and more uniform size. The AuNPs/AOBC nanohybrids have excellent catalytic activity for reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by using NaBH4. It was found that catalytic activity of AuNPs/AOBC first increases with increasing NaBH4 concentration and temperature, and then leveled off at NaBH4 concentration above 238 mM and temperature above 50 °C. Moreover, AuNPs with smaller size have higher catalytic activity. The highest apparent turnover frequency of AuNPs/AOBC is 1190 h–1. The high catalytic activity is due to the high affinity of 4-NP with AuNPs/AOBC and the reduced product 4-aminophenol has good solubility in water in the presence of AuNPs/AOBC. The catalytic stability of the AuNPs/AOBC was estimated by filling a fluid column contained AuNPs/AOBC and used for continuously catalysis of the reduction of 4-NP by using NaBH4. The column works well without detection of 4-NP in the eluent after running for more than two months, and it is still running. This work provides an excellent catalyst based on bacterial cellulose stabilized AuNPs and has promising applications in industry.