Free facile preparation of Ag-nanoparticles on cellulose membrane for catalysis

Due to their advantages such as abundance and non-toxicity, renewable resources such as non-modified cellulose have been used as eco-friendly matrices to support metallic nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) can be used efficiently for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), which is a pollutant compound in both industrial and agricultural wastewater. However, AgNPs tend to aggregate, thus resulting in a significant loss of catalytic activities. Fortunately, immobilization of these nanoparticles in cellulose membranes can overcome the aggregation issue. This work provides a facile method to produce non-modified cellulose membranes containing silver nanoparticles. AgNP aqueous dispersions without and with stabilizers, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were used. The as-prepared membranes are transparent, with high thermal stability and they are water-resistant. The membrane containing silver nanoparticles without extra-stabilizer (PVA or PVP) demonstrated excellent conversion of 4-NP to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The membrane was easily removed from reaction media, no leaching of AgNP was detected allowing to use of the same membrane multiple times with great efficiency. The good catalytic performance of this membrane was attributed to the improved dispersity and narrow distribution of silver nanoparticles in the polymeric matrix.