Cu–Ni nanoparticles via intercalated capping: exceptional efficiency in para-nitrophenol reduction

This research explores the synthesis of Cu–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) via KC₈-driven reduction method at various refluxing time and aiming to evaluate their catalytic efficiency in the reduction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) to p-aminophenol (p-AP). The incorporation of Ni into the Cu matrix has been critical in influencing the thermal, morphological, catalytic, and kinetic properties of the NPs. The bimetallic NPs were characterized using a suite of analytical techniques X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED)-transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). XRD revealed a crystallite size of 10.3 nm while structural and surface analyses confirmed the formation of uniformly dispersed NPs ranging 15–25 nm in size, a specific surface area of 280.82 m² g⁻¹, and a pore volume of 0.231 cc g⁻¹. Our findings revealed that Cu–Ni NPs subjected to a 30-min reflux exhibited a significantly enhanced catalytic activity with a rate constant of 0.112 ± 0.02 s⁻¹. Further optimization of the refluxing time highlights a critical window for maximizing catalytic efficiency. Intercalated KC₈-reduced Cu–Ni NPs have shown promising electrochemical performance, especially as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. However, this research emphasizes the critical role of optimizing refluxing time to maximize catalytic efficiency, providing important insights into the design of advanced catalysts for environmental remediation and chemical synthesis applications.

Graphical abstract