Dual role of flower-like Fe3O4/Ag microstructure in electrocatalytic detection and catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

In this work, a novel Ag-incorporated 3D flower-like porous Fe3O4 magnetic microstructure (Fe3O4/Ag-FM) was effectively prepared via a quasi-reverse emulsion soft template approach and reductive deposition of Ag nanoparticles. The synthesized Fe3O4/Ag-FM material was applied for the electrochemical sensing and catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques were used to determine the electrochemical sensing ability of the synthesized material. Results showed that the fabricated Fe3O4/Ag-FM-based electrode detected a low concentration of 4-NP (0.093 μM) and a linear response in the range of 1.0–15 μM. Furthermore, the Fe3O4/Ag-FM material also exhibited excellent reduction ability towards 4-NP with the assistance of NaBH4. This is because a synergistic effect formed between Ag nanoparticles and flower-like Fe3O4 magnetic microstructure enhanced the catalytic activity towards electrochemical detection and reduction of 4-NP. Overall, the current strategy could help design and synthesize future catalysts that can work as sensors and catalysts.