One-pot fabrication of AgNPs, AuNPs and Ag-Au nano-alloy using cellulosic solid support for catalytic reduction application

The current report provides a simple, green and inexpensive route for one-pot fabrication of AgNPs, AuNPs, and Ag-Au nano-alloy individually onto cellulosic solid support. Cellulosic solid support was naturally extracted from plant and then was used for deposition of nanoparticles. The manufacturing was carried out through redox reaction between metal ions and alcoholic groups of cellulose, resulting in production of metallic/bimetallic nanostructures. AuNPs was obtained in size of 26.1 nm smaller than AgNPs (36.3 nm). Controlling in size of bimetallic nanostructures was achieved by tuning the concentrations, mass ratios of nanometal precursors and their addition sequencing in reaction liquor. Immobilization of nanoparticles/bimetallic nanostructures was frequently speeded up the reduction reaction of p-nitro-aniline, however, bimetallic nanostructures exhibited much better catalytic reactivity, where, 87.2% from p-nitro-aniline was reduced to p-phenylene-di-amine only in 20 min in the presence of Ag-Au bimetallic nano-alloy.