Fabrication and near infrared photothermally-enhanced catalytic activity of Cu nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite

• Copper nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide (Cu/rGO) composite was synthesized.
• Cu/rGO exhibits good catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.
• The use of rGO as the catalyst support leads to a synergistic effect.
• NIR irradiation can enhance the activity of Cu/rGO via photothermal conversion.

The Cu nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide (Cu/rGO) nanocomposite was fabricated by the hydrazine reduction of copper ions and graphene oxide in ethylene glycol. It exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol due to the large specific surface area and adsorption-induced synergistic effect of rGO. Furthermore, under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, the reduction rate was significantly enhanced because of the excellent NIR photothermal conversion property of rGO which resulted in the heating of local environment around Cu nanoparticles. This work is helpful for the development of NIR or solar photothermally enhanced catalytic systems.

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