Reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol over sonoimmobilized silver/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites on polyester fabric

The current paper is aimed to compare different arrangement of Ag nanoparticles within silver/reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) nanocomposites on the polyester fabric. rGO sheets cannot be dispersed in the water for long time however, thin layer surfactant-free Ag/rGO nanocomposites were immobilized on the surface of polyester. This leads to attain the preserved array of nanocomposites for a long time. TEM, FESEM/EDX, XRD, XPS, cyclic voltammetry, catalytic activity and electrical resistivity were used to characterize Ag/rGO nanocomposites coated polyester fabric. Interestingly, sonoimmobilization of Ag/GO produced an even coating layer of nanocomposites on the polyester fabric. The prepared fabric can be used as a high active and stable nanocatalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in water at room temperature. The created flexible and light fabric showed low electrical resistance and high catalytic activity, wherein sonoimmobilization of Ag/rGO treated samples indicated highest catalytic activity as 4-NP solution completely reduced to 4- AP with assistance of 2×4 cm2 treated polyester after 25 min. On the other hand, introducing sonoprepared silver nanoparticles among graphene nanosheets led to significant lowering of electrical resistivity from 43 kΩ/square in mechanical stirring methodto 2 kΩ/square using ultrasound.