Waste Biomass-Derived Activated Carbon-Supported 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D Nanostructures of Copper Oxide for Hydrogenation Reaction: A Study on the Role of Structural Properties

Intensive attention is given to the morphology-controlled synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials because of their intrinsic shape-dependent properties. In this article, different dimensions (D) of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (such as 0D-sphere, 1D-rod, 1D-belt, 2D-rolling pin sheets, 3D-octahedron, and 3D-throne) are prepared. The catalytic efficacy of these differently shaped CuO catalysts is compared for hydrogenation reactions under reducing agent-free conditions. The order of catalytic activity of the CuO catalyst is found to be belt > octahedron > rolling pin > rod > sphere > throne. The best catalyst among the different shaped CuO catalysts, namely belt shape, is supported on the functionalized groundnut shells activated carbon sheets (FGNC). Interestingly, 25 wt % CuO/FGNC catalysts exhibit the highest catalytic activity for the reduction of nitro compounds. Importantly, the highly active FGNC-supported catalyst is reused for up to 10 cycles without any noticeable loss in the catalytic activity.