Biosynthesis of Au nanoparticles supported on Fe3O4@polyaniline as a heterogeneous and reusable magnetic nanocatalyst for reduction of the azo dyes at ambient temperature

Abstract

In this research Au nanoparticles, supported on Fe₃O₄@polyaniline as a magnetic nanocatalyst, was synthesized and its performance has been evaluated to reduce Methylene Blue (MB) and Methyl Orange (MO) from aqueous solutions. Gold nanoparticles, as a nanocatalyst with excellent activity, were prepared through the reduction of Au³⁺ using a wild herbal extract (Allium Sp) without any toxic chemical compounds and harmful materials. The synthesized Fe₃O₄@PANI-Au magnetic nanocatalyst was characterized by different instruments. To investigate the effect of nanocatalyst concentration on the degradation rate of azo dyes, two different catalyst concentrations were used at ambient temperature. According to the carried out calculations, degradation reaction of azo dyes with NaBH₄ in presence of the nanocatalyst is 10³ to 10⁴ times faster than degradation without using the catalyst.

Keywords: Allium Sp herbal extract; Azo dyes; Degradation; Gold nanocatalyst; Green synthesis.