Issue 54, 2017, Issue in Progress

Difunctional Cu-doped carbon dots: catalytic activity and fluorescence indication for the reduction reaction of p-nitrophenol

Abstract

Herein, we report the preparation of Cu-doped carbon dots (CDs) through a one-step hydrothermal carbonization using CuCl2·2H2O and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt dihydrate (EDTA) as precursors. As confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the Cu species chelates with the carbon matrix through Cu–N complexes. Using p-nitrophenol reduction as a model reaction, the catalytic activity and performance as a fluorescence indicator in the catalytic process are further examined. Results show that the synergistic effect, which may stem from the highly efficient catalysis activity of Cu and the electron-enhanced effect from graphite-like CDs, is responsible for the catalytic activity of p-nitrophenol hydrogenation reaction with the pseudo-first-order rate constant being 1.2 × 10−2 s−1. Interestingly, the catalyzed reduction process of p-nitrophenol can be tracked using fluorescence spectra of Cu-doped CDs by means of the Inner Filter Effect (IFE). The unique properties of the difunctional Cu-doped CD catalyst as well as the IFE sensing strategy will provide an ideal platform to monitor the catalytic processes.

Graphical abstract: Difunctional Cu-doped carbon dots: catalytic activity and fluorescence indication for the reduction reaction of p-nitrophenol

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 May 2017
Accepted
22 Jun 2017
First published
05 Jul 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 33929-33936

Difunctional Cu-doped carbon dots: catalytic activity and fluorescence indication for the reduction reaction of p-nitrophenol

J. Du, Y. Zhao, J. Chen, P. Zhang, L. Gao, M. Wang, C. Cao, W. Wen and C. Zhu, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 33929 DOI: 10.1039/C7RA05383E

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