Solid-State Synthesis of Liquorice-Stabilized Copper-Based Nanoparticles: Structural and Catalytic Studies

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Green Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nanomaterials offer unique properties for catalysis.
• Developing green and scalable synthesis methods is crucial for sustainable nanotechnology.
• Copper oxalate nanoparticles (CONPs) have potential catalytic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile, green, and scalable solid-state method for synthesizing copper oxalate nanoparticles.
• To characterize the synthesized copper oxalate nanoparticles.
• To evaluate the catalytic activity of copper oxalate nanoparticles in pollutant degradation.

Main Methods:

• Solid-state ball-milling of copper chloride, Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and ascorbic acid.
• Characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV/Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
• Catalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol, bromophenol blue, and reactive yellow.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized copper oxalate nanoparticles (CONPs) via a green solid-state reaction.
• The CONPs were semi-spherical with sizes ranging from 5 to 15 nm.
• The synthesized CONPs demonstrated catalytic activity in degrading various organic pollutants.

Conclusions:

• The proposed solid-state reaction is a simple, inexpensive, low-energy, solvent-free, and waste-minimizing approach for mass production of CONPs.
• This green synthesis method is suitable for large-scale nanomaterial production.
• Copper oxalate nanoparticles show promise as effective catalysts for environmental remediation.