In-situ preparation of sulfonated carbonaceous copper oxide-zirconia nanocomposite as a novel and recyclable solid acid catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

The missing-linker defects of UiO-66 were exploited to covalently anchor Cu nanoclusters (Cu/UiO-66). The molecular interactions between the metals and oxides as copper-zirconia interfaces in Cu/UiO-66 are essential for heterogeneous catalysis, leading to remarkable synergistic impacts on activity and selectivity. Homogeneously distributed carbonaceous mixed metal oxides (CuO/ZrO(2)@C) nanocomposite was prepared via carbonization of the Cu/UiO-66 at 600 °C for 3 h in air. To enhance the acidity properties of the CuO/ZrO(2)@C nanocomposite, a small amount of sulfuric acid was added and heated at 150 °C under an N(2) atmosphere (CuO/ZrO(2)-SO(3)H@C). The synthesised Cu/UiO-66 and CuO/ZrO(2)-SO(3)H@C catalysts were used as novel catalysts in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The Cu/UiO-66 and CuO/ZrO(2)-SO(3)H@C catalysts displayed complete conversion of the 4-NP solution during (4 and 2 min) stirring at room temperature, respectively. These two catalysts exhibited a high reduction rate of 8.61 × 10(–3) s(−1), and 18.3 × 10(–3) s(−1), respectively. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis showed the charge of copper atoms in the Cu/UiO-66 catalyst was Cu(0)/Cu(II) and in the CuO/ZrO(2)-SO(3)H@C catalyst was Cu(I)/Cu(II) with nearly the same ratio (65/35). The particle size and the elemental composition of the CuO/ZrO(2)-SO(3)H@C catalyst were analysed by using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and elemental mapping, respectively. The key point beyond the high catalytic activity and selectivity of the CuO/ZrO(2)-SO(3)H@C catalyst is both the carbon–metal oxides heterojunction structure that leads to good dispersion of the CuO and ZrO(2) over the carbon sheets, and the high acidity properties that come from the combination between the Brønsted acid sites from sulfuric acid and Lewis acid sites from the UiO-66. The catalysts exhibited good recyclability efficiency without significant loss in activity, indicating their good potential for industrial applications.