Facile one-pot green synthesis of Ag-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles and their catalytic capability for 4-Nitrophenol reduction

Abstract The synergy between two different metals provides a dramatic enhancement in the bimetallic nanoparticles' catalytic properties since bimetallization improves the properties associated with the presence of two individual metals. Therefore, herein, we reported the facile, seedless, one-pot green synthesis of Ag-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles via reduction process using phytochemicals present in the Salvia officinalis aqueous extract. During the Phyto-assisted nanofabrication of Ag-Fe nanoparticles, the reduction of Ag+ and Fe3+ metal ions to Ag-Fe NPs takes place according to their reduction potential. The UV-visible spectroscopic technique was initially used for the Ag-Fe nanoparticle formation in which the absorption band at 450nm, 350nm, and 352nm were observed for AgNPs, FeNPs, and Ag-Fe nanoparticles, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to investigate the size and shape of biosynthesized Ag-Fe nanoparticles, and it was revealed that the as-synthesized Ag-Fe nanoparticles are nearly spherical with an average size of 30 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study was carried out to analyze the purity of the Ag-Fe nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was performed to confirm the role of reducing and capping/stabilizing agents in the synthesis of Ag-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles. The successful biosynthesis of Ag-Fe nanoparticles was also confirmed by X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDX) analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to investigate the decomposition pattern of the Ag-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles. The catalytic behavior of as-synthesized Ag-Fe nanoparticles was investigated for the catalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. The observed results revealed that Ag-Fe nanoparticles showed an efficient reduction of 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-Aminophemol (4-AP) after 45 min of treatment.