Ni@Pd core–shell nanoparticles immobilized on yolk–shell Fe3O4@polyaniline composites as a highly efficient,magnetically separable and atom‐economical catalyst for reduction of nitrobenzenes

The preparation of Ni@Pd core–shell nanoparticles immobilized on yolk–shell Fe₃O₄@polyaniline composites is reported. Fe₃O₄ nanoclusters were first synthesized through the solvothermal method and then the SiO₂ shell was coated on the Fe₃O₄ surface via a sol–gel process. To prepare Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@polyaniline composites, polyvinylpyrrolidone was first grafted on to the surface of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ composites and subsequently polymerization of aniline was carried out via an ultrasound‐assisted in situ surface polymerization method. Selective etching of the middle SiO₂ layer was then accomplished to obtain the yolk–shell Fe₃O₄@polyaniline composites. The approach uses polyaniline (PANI) conductive polymer as a template for the synthesis of Ni@Pd core–shell nanoparticles. The catalytic activity of the synthesized yolk–shell Fe₃O₄@PANI/Ni@Pd composite was investigated in the reduction of o‐nitroaniline to benzenediamine by NaBH₄, which exhibited conversion of 99% in 3 min with a very low content of the catalyst. Transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, TGA, X‐ray diffraction, UV–visible, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray energy dispersion spectroscopy and FT‐IR were employed to characterize the synthesized nanocatalyst. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of a highly active amino‐functionalized Fe3O4@SiO2/APTS/Ru magnetic nanocomposite catalyst for hydrogenation reactions

An amino‐functionalized silica‐coated Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS) was synthesized. The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ microspheres possessed a well‐defined core–shell structure, uniform sizes and high magnetization. An immobilized ruthenium nanoparticle catalyst (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS/Ru) was obtained after coordination and reduction of Ru³⁺ on the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS nanocomposite. The Ru nanoparticles were not only ultra‐small with nearly monodisperse sizes but also had strong affinity with the surface of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS. The obtained catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of a variety of aromatic nitro compounds, even at room temperature. Moreover, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS/Ru was easily recovered using a magnetic field and directly reused for at least five cycles without significant loss of its activity.     

Direct Electrochemistry of Hemoglobin Based on Fe3O4@SiO2 Nanoparticles Modified Electrode

A biosensor based on hemoglobin‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticle bioconjunctions modified indium‐tin‐oxide (Hb/Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/ITO) electrode was fabricated to determine the concentration of H₂O₂. UV‐vis absorption spectra, fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the bioconjunction of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ with Hb. Experimental results demonstrate that the immobilized Hb on the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ matrix retained its native structure well. In addition, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) are very effective in facilitating electron transfer of the immobilized enzyme, which can be attributed to the unique nanostructure and larger surface area of the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ NPs. The biosensor displayed good performance for the detection of H₂O₂ with a wide linear range from 2.03×10^?6 to 4.05×10^?3 mol/L and a detection limit of 0.32 µmol/L. The resulting biosensor exhibited fast amperometric response, good stability, reproducibility, and selectivity to H₂O₂.     

Fabrication of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposites to enhance anticorrosion performance of epoxy coatings

SiO₂‐coated Fe₃O₄ (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂) nanocomposites were prepared by sol–gel method, and the anticorrosion performance of composite coatings was discussed. The structure of the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanocomposites was verified through Fourier transform infrared, X‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Composite epoxy coatings with same concentrations of Fe₃O₄ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ were measured by scanning electron microscopy contact angle meter. More importantly, the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanocomposites not only obtained a homogeneous dispersion and compatibility in epoxy resin but also exhibited an obvious superiority in enhancing the anticorrosion performance of epoxy coatings. Furthermore, the anticorrosion mechanism of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/epoxy composite coating was tentatively discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of Cadmium Cd2+ and Lead Pb2+ Binding by Fe2O3@SiO2‐EDTA Nanoparticles – Binding Stability and Kinetic Studies

This study describes the synthesis and characterization of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles of 20 nm in size – Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA – which were used as a novel magnetic adsorbent for Cd(II) and Pb(II) binding in aqueous medium. These nanoparticles were obtained in two‐stage synthesis: covering by tetraethyl orthosilicate and functionalization with EDTA derivatives. Nanoparticles were characterized using TEM, FT‐IR, and XPS methods. Metal ions were detected under optimized experimental conditions using Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (DPASV) and Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode (HDME) techniques. We compared the ability of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA to bind cadmium and lead in concentration of 553.9 μg L^?1 and 647.5 μg L^?1, respectively. Obtained results show that the adsorption rate of cadmium binding was very high. The equilibrium for Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA‐Cd(II) was reached within 19 min while for the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA‐Pb(II) was reached within 25 minutes. About 2 mg of nanoparticles was enough to bind 87.5 % Cd(II) and 54.1 % Pb(II) content. In the next step the binding capacity of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA nanoparticles was determined. Only 1.265 mg of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA was enough to bind 96.14 % cadmium ions while 5.080 mg of nanoparticles bound 40.83 % lead ions. This phenomenon proves that the studied nanoparticles bind Cd(II) much better than Pb(II). The cadmium ions binding capacity of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA nanoparticles decreased during storage in 0.5 M KCl solution. Two days of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐EDTA storage in KCl solution caused the 32 % increase in the amount of nanoparticles required to bind 60 % of cadmium while eight‐days storage caused further increase to 328 %. The performed experiment confirmed that the storage of nanoparticles in solution without any surfactants reduced their binding capacity. The best binding capacity was observed for the nanoparticles prepared directly before the electrochemical measurements.     

Improvement on physical properties of polyethersulfone membranes modified by poly(1‐vinylpyrrolidone) grafted magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles

Polyethersulfone (PES) and poly(1‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) were used to prepare ultrafiltration membranes with grafted Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (PVP‐g‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂). The structure of synthesized PVP‐g‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ was confirmed by FT‐IR and SEM analysis. Physical properties of blend membranes such as thermal resistance, Tensile strength, water uptake, and hydrophilicity were also investigated. Blended membranes of PES/PVP‐g‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ have exhibited higher thermal resistance due to increasing the modified nanoparticle content. The hydrophilicity of the synthesized PES/PVP‐g‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ membranes also improved by increasing the PVP‐g‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ content. As expected, increasing the hydrophilicity of blended membrane, caused enhancement of fouling resistance in membranes. Results showed that the content of PVP‐g‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ has different effects on the properties of synthesized composite membranes. Despite increasing the content of PVP‐g‐Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ has a negative effect on elongation, positive effects on maximum stress was observed. Moreover, the water uptake of synthesized membranes was significantly enhanced in comparison to other similar studies.     

Preparation and characterization of Fe3O4@SiO2/APTPOSS core–shell composite nanomagnetics as a novel family of reusable catalysts and their application in the one‐pot synthesis of 1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one derivatives

Octakis[3‐(3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane)propyl]octasilsesquioxane (APTPOSS) as a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane derivative was prepared and used as a pioneer reagent to obtain a novel core–shell composite using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as the core and the inorganic–organic hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as the shell. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTPOSS were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry. The inorganic–organic hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane magnetic nanoparticles were used as an efficient new heterogeneous catalyst for the one‐pot three‐component synthesis of 1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐ones under solvent‐free conditions. Moreover, these nanoparticles could be easily separated using an external magnet and then reused several times without significant loss of catalytic activity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and characterization of palladium immobilized on silica‐coated Fe3O4 and its catalytic performance for Suzuki reaction under microwave irradiation

Supported palladium catalyst (Pd/Fe₃O₄@SiO₂) was easily prepared by supporting PdCl₂ on silica‐coated magnetic nanoparticles Fe₃O₄ in ethylene glycol. The as‐prepared sample was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The formation of active specie Pd(0) was confirmed by XRD and XPS, and the Pd loading for the fresh and recovered catalyst was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Pd/Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ was employed for the synthesis of biphenyl derivatives via Suzuki reaction. In terms of the yield of biphenyl, the supported catalyst displayed nearly equal catalytic performance to that of homologous PdCl₂ under microwave irradiation for 30 min but higher than that obtained by traditional heating method for 12 h. The catalytic performance of Pd/Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ for Suzuki reactions involving various aryl halides and arylboronic acids were also examined. Impressive yield of biphenyl at 68.2% was obtained even in the presence of unreactive aryl chlorides. Pd/Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ was recovered by a permanent magnet and directly reused in the next run, and no obvious deactivation was observed for up to 6 times. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fe3O4@SiO2‐PANI‐Au Nanocomposite Prepared for Electrochemical Determination of Quercetin in Food Samples and Biological Fluids

A new electrochemical sensor based on Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐PANI‐Au nanocomposite was fabricated for modification of glassy carbon electrode (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐PANI‐Au GCE). The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐PANI‐Au nanocomposite was characterized by TEM, FESEM‐EDS‐Mapping, XRD, and TGA methods. The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐PANI‐Au GC electrode exhibited an acceptable sensitivity, fast electrochemical response, and good selectivity for determination of quercetin. Under optimal conditions, the linear range for quercetin concentrations using this sensor was 1.0×10^?8 to 1.5×10^?5 mol L^?1, and the limit of detection was 3.8×10^?9 mol L^?1. The results illustrated that the offered sensor could be a possible alternative for the measurement of quercetin in food samples and biological fluids.     

Research on WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/chitosan composites with excellent electrical and magnetic properties

First, attapulgite‐Fe₃O₄ magnetic filler (ATP‐Fe₃O₄) was prepared by using a chemical precipitation method. Subsequently, graphite oxide (GO) was prepared through Hummer method, and then reduced GO (RGO) was prepared through GO reduced by chitosan (CS). Finally, a series of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites were prepared by introduced RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS to waterborne polyurethane. The structure and properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), thermogravimetric analysis TGA, conductivity test, and tensile test. The experimental results indicated that thermal stability and tensile strength of nanocomposites were improved with the increase of the content of RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS. Meanwhile, with the increase of the RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS content, the electrical and magnetic properties of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites were improved. When the content of RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS was 8 wt%, the electrical conductivity and the saturation magnetic strength of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites were 3.1 × 10^?7 S·cm^?1 and 1.38 emu/g, respectively. WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites have excellent electrical and magnetic properties.     

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic performance of core‐shell structure magnetic Fe3O4/P(GMA‐EGDMA)‐NH2/HPG‐COOH‐Pd catalyst

A strategy has been developed for the synthesis, characterization and catalysis of magnetic Fe₃O₄/P(GMA‐EGDMA)‐NH₂/HPG‐COOH‐Pd core‐shell structure supported catalyst. The P(GMA‐EGDMA) polymer layer was coated on the surface of hollow magnetic Fe₃O₄ microspheres through the effect of KH570. The core‐shell magnetic Fe₃O₄/P(GMA‐EGDMA) modified by ‐NH₂ could be grafted with HPG. Then, the hyperbranched glycidyl (HPG) with terminal ‐OH were modified by ‐COOH and adsorbed Pd nanoparticles. The hyperbranched polymer layer not only protected the Fe₃O₄ magnetic core from acid–base substrate corrosion, but also provided a number of functional groups as binding sites for Pd nanoparticles. The prepared catalyst was characterized by UV–vis, TEM, SEM, FTIR, TGA, ICP‐OES, BET, XRD, DLS and VSM. The catalytic tests showed that the magnetic Fe₃O₄/P(GMA‐EGDMA)‐NH₂/HPG‐COOH‐Pd catalyst had excellent catalytic performance and retained 86% catalytic efficiency after 8 consecutive cycles.     

Synthesis of Fe3O4@SiO2@DOPisatin‐Ni(II) and Cu(II) nanoparticles: Highly efficient catalyst for the synthesis of sulfoxides and disulfides

The catalytic activity of two magnetic catalysts Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@DOPisatin‐M(II) (M = Ni, Cu) was investigated in the environmentally green H₂O₂ oxidant‐based oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides and oxidative coupling of thiols to disulfides. By using these catalysts, various substrates were successfully converted into their corresponding product. These catalysts could also be reused multiple time without significant loss of activity. The physical and chemical properties of the catalysts were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).     

Synthesis of Fe3O4 Microspheres-Supported Catalysts for Suzuki Coupling Reaction

Two new Fe₃O₄ microspheres‐supported semi‐homogeneous catalysts, namely Fe₃O₄‐G4‐polyaminoamido (PAMAM) dendrimers‐Pd(0) and Fe₃O₄‐polyethylene glycols (PEGs)‐Pd(0) were synthesized and characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction, infrared spectrum, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis, which can catalyze Suzuki coupling reactions. The performance of catalysts was tested for the reactions of aryl halides with phenyl boronic acid and compared with a heterogeneous catalyst Fe₃O₄‐(3‐aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTS)‐Pd(0), in which Fe₃O₄‐G4‐PAMAM dendrimers‐Pd(0) shows the best activity among the three catalysts. The order of the catalytic activities is Fe₃O₄‐G4‐PAMAM dendrimers‐Pd(0)>Fe₃O₄‐PEGs‐Pd(0)>Fe₃O₄‐APTS‐Pd(0). The catalysts can be quickly and completely recovered by simply applying a magnet of 105 mT and the efficiencies remain unaltered even after four recycles.     

New metal complexes supported on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles as recoverable catalysts for selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides

Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were coated with aminopropyltriethoxysilane and subsequently reacted with isatin to obtain imine‐bonded Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The addition of ZrOCl₂?8H₂O or CuCl₂ led to the formation of complexes of Zr(IV)/isatin@Fe₃O₄ or Cu (II)/isatin@Fe₃O₄ as new magnetically separable catalysts. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using various techniques. These catalysts are shown to be efficient for chemo‐selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using hydrogen peroxide as oxidative agent. This system has many advantages, such as excellent level of reusability of magnetic catalysts, high yields, simplicity of separation of catalysts using an external magnet, environmental benignity and ease of handling. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel synthesis of Fe2O3–Pt ellipsoids coated by double‐shelled La2O3 as a catalyst for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol

A facile strategy is reported for the fabrication of Pt‐loaded core–shell nanocomposite ellipsoids (Fe₂O₃‐Pt@DSL) consisting of ellipsoidal Fe₂O₃ cores, double‐layered La₂O₃ shells and deposited Pt nanoparticles (NPs). The formation of the doubled‐shelled structure uses Fe₂O₃‐Pt@mSiO₂ as template sacrificial agent and it involves the re‐deposition of silica and self‐assembly of metal oxide units. The preparation methods of double‐shelled metal oxides avoid repeated coating and etching and could be utilized to fabricate other shaped double‐shelled composites. Characterization results indicated that the Fe₂O₃‐Pt@DSL nanocomposites possessed mesoporous structure and tunable shell thickness. Moreover, due to the formation of Fe₂O₃ and La₂O₃ composites, Pt NPs can also be stabilized via deposition on chemically active oxides with a synergistic effect. Therefore, as a catalyst for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol, Fe₂O₃‐Pt@DSL showed superior catalytic activity and reusability due to structural superiority and enhanced composite synergy. Finally, well‐dispersed Pt NPs were encapsulated into the void between the shell layers to construct the Fe₂O₃‐Pt@DSL‐Pt catalyst.     

聚乙二醇-四氧化三铁纳米粒子复合材料的结构、物理性质及应用

在β-环糊精作保护剂条件下, 制备了高对称的十八面体四氧化三铁(Fe₃O₄)纳米材料. 通过胶体化学方法, 合成了一系列不同起始计量比的聚乙二醇(PEG)和Fe₃O₄纳米粒子复合物(CM-1-CM-4). 这些PEG复合材料展示出重要特性: 首先, 它们的表面形貌依赖于Fe₃O₄的计量; 其次, PEG的熔化过程受Fe₃O₄的影响, 并且直接与Fe₃O₄的含量相关; 进一步研究表明, 除CM-4外, Fe₃O₄的引入导致PEG结晶度下降, 而且Fe₃O₄纳米粒子量越少, 降低幅度越大; 更为有趣的是, PEG的降解过程受制于Fe₃O₄纳米粒子的影响, 导致不同降解产物的出现; 而且, 与纯Fe₃O₄纳米粒子一样, 复合材料中的Fe₃O₄也显示典型的软铁磁性行为, 但饱和磁化强度相对较小; 此外, X射线光电子能谱(XPS)实验揭示在这些PEG复合材料中, 有从Fe到O的电子转移, Fe电子密度的降低可用来解释复合材料饱和磁化强度的减小; 最后, 这些PEG复合材料呈现出对有机染料的表面增强拉曼效应, 并且这种效应随Fe₃O₄纳米粒子含量的增加而增加. 这些结果将会对聚合物/无机纳米粒子复合材料的发展起到推进作用.     

Crucial factors affecting the physicochemical properties of sol–gel produced Fe3O4@SiO2–NH2 core–shell nanomaterials

Multifunctional nanomaterials with task-specific physicochemical properties, especially core?Cshell nanostructures with Fe₃O₄ core and NH₂-functional shells (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂?CNH₂), have been extensively investigated as high-performance adsorbents, catalysts and catalyst supports; and in most cases the controllable sol?Cgel technique is the choice for fabrication of this kind of widely applied materials. Herein, we demonstrated that mono-dispersed and spherical Fe₃O₄@SiO₂?CNH₂ nanomaterials with magnetic response core, NH₂-functional shell structure can be facilely prepared by co-condensation of TEOS with APTMS using a versatile sol?Cgel process. It was shown that the proper usage of APTMS and appropriate pre-hydrolysis time of TEOS were crucial and key steps for formation of highly uniform and desirable amino loading Fe₃O₄@SiO₂?CNH₂ materials. The TEOS pre-hydrolysis and the critical time (around 90?min) before the addition of APTMS prove to be vital for uniform structure evolution, while the appropriate concentration of APTMS (~2.28?mmol?L^?1 in our system) leads to well-dispersed materials with relatively high loading of amino functionality. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄@SiO₂?CNH₂ magnetic nanoparticles prepared under optimum conditions possessing superparamagnetic behavior, uniform core?Cshell structure (~200?nm in diameter), relatively large BET surface area (~138?m²/g) and high incorporation of amino-functionality (~2.90?wt?%).     

Synthesis and catalytic evaluation of Fe3O4/MWCNTs nanozyme as recyclable peroxidase mimetics: Biochemical and physicochemical characterization

In this research, the nanocomposite of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and magnetic metal oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs), as enzyme mimetic, was synthesized using an in situ chemical reduction method. The structure, composition and morphology of the prepared Fe₃O₄/MWCNT nanocomposite materials were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, FT‐IR and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, respectively. The magnetic properties of the nanocomposite were investigated by the vibrating sample magnetometer. A colorimetric system involving nanozyme, phenol/4‐aminoantipyrine and H₂O₂ was utilized for the determination of peroxidase mimetic catalytic assay. The obtained results confirmed that the synthesis of Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs nanostructures was successful. It was found that Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs nanohybrid exhibited peroxidase‐like activity without any pH limitation. Colorimetric data demonstrated that the prepared nanocatalyst had higher catalytic activity toward H₂O₂ than MWCNTs. The kinetic parameters of the nanozyme, K_m and V_max, were estimated to be 8.3 mm and 1.4 mm min^?1, respectively. The Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs nanostructures were also successfully applied for glucose detection. In addition, peroxidase‐like activity of the nanozyme increased in the presence of butyl‐imidazolium bromide ionic liquid. These biomimetic catalysts have some advantages, such as simplicity, stability, reusability and cost effectiveness, which makes them great candidates to be used in various fields of biotechnology applications.     

Fabrication and characterization of double‐shelled CeO2‐La2O3/Au/Fe3O4 hollow architecture as a recyclable and highly thermal stability nanocatalyst

A novel magnetic binary‐metal‐oxide‐coated nanocataly composing of a hollow Fe₃O₄ core and CeO₂‐La₂O₃ shells with Au nanoparticles encapsulated has been created in this work. The structural features of catalysts were characterized by several techniques, including SEM, TEM, UV‐vis, FTIR, XRD, XPS and TGA analyses. After the coating of CeO₂‐La₂O₃ layer, CeO₂‐La₂O₃/Au/C/Fe₃O₄ microspheres showed a superior thermal stability and catalytic reactivity compared with a pure CeO₂ or La₂O₃ layer. Accompanied by the burning of carbon layer, the specific surface could be increased by the formation of double‐shelled structure. Besides, the desired samples could be separated by magnet, implying the superior recycle performance. Using the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol by NaBH₄ as a model reaction, the microspheres exhibited highly reusability, superior catalytic activity, thermal stability, which are attributed to the unique double‐shelled structure of the support, uniform distribution of Au nanoparticles, the highly thermal stability of CeO₂‐La₂O₃ layer and mixed oxide synergistic effect. As a consequence, the unique nanocatalyst will open a promising way in the fabrication of the double‐shelled hollow binary‐metal‐oxide materials for future research and has great potential in other applications.     

Electrocatalytic Determination of Hydrazine and Phenol Using a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Ionic Liquids and Magnetic Core‐shell Fe3O4@SiO2/MWCNT Nanocomposite

A carbon paste electrode was modified with 2‐(4‐Oxo‐3‐phenyl‐3,4‐dihydroquinazolinyl)‐N′‐phenyl‐hydrazinecarbothioamide, magnetic core? shell Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/MWCNT nanocomposite and ionic liquid (n‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluoro phosphate). The electro‐oxidation of hydrazine at the surface of the modified electrode was studied using electrochemical approaches. This modified electrode offers a considerable improvement in voltammetric sensitivity toward hydrazine, compared to the bare electrode. Square wave voltammetry (SWV) exhibits a linear dynamic range from 7.0×10^?8 to 5.0×10^?4 M and a detection limit of 40.0 nM for hydrazine. The diffusion coefficient and kinetic parameters (such as electron transfer coefficient and the heterogeneous rate constant) for hydrazine oxidation were also determined. The prepared modified electrode exhibits a very good resolution between the voltammetric peaks of hydrazine and phenol that makes it suitable for the detection of hydrazine in the presence of phenol in real samples.