Ultrafine Silver Nanoparticles Supported on a Conjugated Microporous Polymer as High-Performance Nanocatalysts for Nitrophenol Reduction

Abstract

A conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) material was designed with pore function of cyano and pyridyl groups that act as potential binding sites for Ag⁺ ion capture. Ultrafine silver nanoparticles (less than 5 nm) were successfully supported on the predesigned CMP material to afford Ag⁰@CMP composite materials by means of a simple liquid impregnation and light-induced reduction method. Spherical Ag⁰ nanoparticles with a statistical mean diameter of ca. 3.9 nm were observed and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The Ag⁰@CMP composite materials were consequently exploited as high-performance nanocatalysts for the reduction of nitrophenols, a family of priority pollutants, at various temperatures and ambient pressure. Moreover, the composite nanocatalysts feature convenient recovery and excellent reusability. This work presents an efficient platform to achieve ultrafine metal nanoparticles immobilized on porous supports with predominant catalytic properties by virtue of the structural design and spatial confinement effect available for conjugated microporous polymers.