Reductant-Free Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles-Doped Cellulose Microgels for Catalyzing and Product Separation

A novel
and straightforward synthetic strategy was developed to
prepare silver nanoparticles-doped cellulose microgels (Ag NPs@CMG)
nanohybrids at room temperature. Residual alkali (sodium hydroxide/urea)
from a cellulose dissolving system was reused and acted as a functional
accelerant, which made it possible for Ag+ to be reduced
to Ag0 by CMG at room temperature, yielding Ag NPs decorated
on CMG. The as-prepared Ag NPs@CMG nanohybrids exhibited excellent
catalytic performance in reduction of 4-nitrophenol and organic dyes.
Moreover, the Ag NPs@CMG nanohybrids were capable to form a desirable
porous membrane for catalyzing and simultaneous product separation.
Reactants passing through the membrane could be catalytically transformed
to product, which is of great significance for water treatment. As
a demonstration, three kinds of organic dye solutions were successfully
decolorized by using a Ag NPs@CMG nanohybrids-based membrane. The
simplicity, sustainability, and straightforwardness of this approach
to prepare a highly efficient catalyst and functional membrane open
up new possibilities for large-scale production and application of
bioresources/noble metal nanohybrids in various fields.