Inorganic-organic-fabrics based polyester/cotton for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol
Abstract
Polyester/cotton (PC) fabric was functionalized with CuO dispersion followed by diethanolamine (DEA) grafting. The resulting PCCuO-DEA material was characterized, and the infrared spectrum confirmed the presence of functional groups on the surface. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that CuO insertion resulted in agglomerated particles with uniform size distribution around 50 μm. Thermogravimetric analysis evidenced a good thermal stability of PCCuO-DEA. The latter acquired new active sites at the PC surface, producing improved catalytic reduction of 4-NP into 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The kinetic studies of 4-NP reduction by sodium borohydride revealed a pseudo-first-order reaction. In presence of CuO-DEA, 4-NP was fully converted into 4-AP in less than 8 min. It was also found that PCCuO-DEA exhibits high catalytic activity even after six successive cycles, with nearly 89% conversion. The above results open an intersting avenue for developing functional textile-based catalysts, which are expected to be very useful in many technological applications.