Highly Efficient Regeneration of Deactivated Au/C Catalyst for 4-Nitrophenol Reduction

Abstract

In the present work, we proposed an effective method to regenerate sintered gold catalyst by improving the dispersion of gold nanoparticles. With the liquid oxychlorination reaction, a sintered carbon-supported gold (Au/C) nanocatalyst was effectively regenerated by improving the redispersion of Au nanoparticles with additional carbon support. The Au-catalyzed model reaction between 4-nitrophenol and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) indicates that the apparent activity of the optimal Au/C regenerated (Au 0.45 wt %) exceeds that of the initial fresh Au/C (Au 1 wt %), making Au utilization tripled and potentially sustainable for their extensive application in industry.