High performance Ni nanoparticles@Graphene oxide-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) free-standing film for catalytic applications: reductive and oxidative reactions

Graphene oxide was blended with poly(vinyl alcohol) film as a solid support for nickel nanoparticles as a dip catalyst. Simple preparation steps were followed avoiding the use of hazardous materials and/or any surface treatment. Graphene oxide plays the key role in the proposed catalyst by cross-linking poly(vinyl alcohol) film, increasing the affinity of the substrate for adsorbing nickel ions, and increasing the hydrophilicity of the nanocomposite. The prepared dip-catalyst was employed in catalytic reduction and oxidation to get rid of Cr6+, 4-nitrophenol, and methylene blue as water pollutants. A reasonable control over the operational parameters of the catalytic reaction was achieved. Significantly, the free-standing film form of the catalyst enabled the facile separation of the catalyst without release of the nickel nanoparticles. Also, the recyclability of the catalyst was investigated for several runs without any considerable loss of catalyst efficiency. The proposed catalyst fits the environmental and industrial requirements because of its stability, low cost, and activity for wide range of catalytic reactions.