Exploring the Spindle‐Shaped Copper Oxide Nanoparticles as Cost‐Effective Catalyst.

Appropriate purification of the polluted water is a sustainable and significant work. The hydrogenation of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP) is an invaluable process by transforming toxic nitrophenol to serviceable industrial raw material 4‐aminophenol (4‐AP). Suffering the limit of high‐cost precious metal as catalyst, the design and exploring cheap and efficient catalyst is urgently needed, to promote this informative process. Here, we propose a simple and economical synthesis route to synthesize spindle‐shaped CuO nanoparticles (S‐CuO NPs). XRD, SEM, HRTEM and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure, morphology and catalytic performance of the prepared nanoparticles. In the presence of NaBH4 as a reducing agent, the reduction can be completed in only 90 seconds by using S‐CuO NPs as catalyst, with a good rate constant (k) of 3.774×10−2 s−1. In view of the fact positive surface charge of S‐CuO NPs promotes the occurrence of hydride transfer phenomenon, this mechanism is discussed. The conclusion shows that the prepared S‐CuO NPs have good catalytic activity, can be used as a mild and effective catalyst for the reduction of 4‐NP with good reusability, and have potential applications in catalytic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]