Facile and green synthesis of cellulose nanocrystal-supported gold nanoparticles with superior catalytic activity

The emphasis of science and technology shifts toward environmentally friendly and sustainable resources and processes. Herein, we report a facile, one-pot and green synthesis of biomaterial-supported gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with superior catalytic activity. Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-supported AuNPs were prepared by heating the aqueous mixture of HAuCl 4 , CNCs and polyethylene glycol, avoiding toxic chemicals, extreme condition and complicated procedure. The resultant CNC-supported AuNPs exhibited catalytic activities for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol by sodium borohydride. The maximum apparent rate constant reached 1.47   ×   10 −2   s −1 , and the turnover frequency reached 641   h −1 . The superior catalytic performance can be ascribed to the large amount of highly dispersed AuNPs with few nanometers in size which are loaded on CNCs. About 90% of the AuNPs are smaller than 10   nm, and nearly 60% of the AuNPs are smaller than 5   nm. The synthesis is eco-friendly, facile and low-cost, thus has great potential for industrial and medical applications.