Self-assembled Au/Fe3O4 nanoparticle-loaded phytic acid-graphene oxide composite foam with highly efficient catalytic performance for p-nitrophenol and o-nitroaniline organic pollutants

Abstract In this work, a new type of self-assembled phytic acid-graphene oxide composite foam (PAGF) was prepared by hydrothermal method. In addition, Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) and Fe3O4 particles were loaded onto PADF to obtain PAGF@Au&Fe3O4 composite by a simple one-step method. The addition of graphene oxide (GO) can effectively prevent the agglomeration of Au NPs and weaken its surface passivation. The results of SEM, XRD, XPS and BET proved the successful preparation of the composite and its large specific surface area. Moreover, the synthesized PAGF@Au&Fe3O4 composite showed good catalytic performance for p-nitrophenol (4-NP) and o-nitroaniline (2-NA) solutions with the rate constant (k) values of 0.0799 min-1 and 0.0546 min-1, respectively. Due to the addition of Fe3O4, the composite exhibited good stability and recyclability, and maintained high catalytic efficiency after 8 cycles of catalytic process. The current work provides new ideas for developing novel graphene oxide-based composite materials and their catalytic degradation of organic pollutants.