Magnetically recoverable Au doped iron oxide nanoparticles coated with graphene oxide for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Abstract This work reports the synthesis of Au doped iron oxide nanoparticles by co-precipitation method using a cationic polymer as a stabilizer and subsequent coating with graphene oxide (GO) to form the catalytically enhanced GO/Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The analysis confirms the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles and successive coating of GO. The synthesized nanoparticles were used as a catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. The effect of temperature on the catalytic activity was studied and the kinetic parameters were calculated. The iron oxide nanoparticles were found to be effective and highly reusable due to their magnetic nature. These nanoparticles can be recovered with the help of a magnet and can be separated effortlessly from the reaction medium after the completion of the reaction.