Topochemical synthesis and catalysis of metal nanoparticles exposed on crystalline cellulose nanofibers

Topochemical synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was achieved on crystalline cellulose single nanofibers (CSNFs), which were tailored from native cellulose. Exposed AuNPs@CSNFs composite exhibited an excellent catalytic efficiency: the turnover frequency of the AuNPs@CSNFs was up to 840 times that of conventional polymer-supported AuNPs, for a model aqueous reduction reaction. Our novel strategy provides a promising solution to realize efficient use of limited noble metals using natural bioresources.