Anchoring ultrafine Au nanoclusters on sulfonate groups functionalized carbon matrix for efficient catalytic reduction of nitrophenol.

Despite immense research efforts in the field of Au supported on carbon matrix, the rational design and fabrication of ultrafine Au/carbon matrix nanocatalysts with effective reactivity and high stability are still challenging. The main obstacles are faced with adjusting the size of Au nanoclusters and strengthening the bond of Au and carbon. In this work, sulfonate groups (−SO 3 H) introduced onto activated coke (AC) matrix was prepared for steadily anchoring ultrafine Au nanoclusters (∼2 nm). The obtained Au/SO 3 H-AC exhibited superior reactivity for 4-nitrophenol reduction within 3 min using NaBH 4 as reducing agent. The superior performance and stability are attributed to the − SO 3 H groups with hydrophilic property, benefiting for substrates readily dispersion and for Au species (including oxidized Au+ and Au3+) bind and stabilization, possibly by tightly interacting with the O atoms bound to S atom of − SO 3 H. In addition, several lines of evidence demonstrate the oxidized Au species can serve as electron relay system, ensuring the sustained reaction. Given that the Au nanoclusters in this study have superior reactivity and stability, this work proposes a novel strategy for preparing other supported metal nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]