Abstract

A nickel zeolitic imidazolate framework/carbon nanotube (Ni-ZIF/CNT) nanocomposite was synthesized by reacting nickel(II) nitrate hexahydrate with 2-methylimidazole and carbon nanotube. Its morphology and structure were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the nanocomposite for the reduction of nitroaromatic compounds, including 4-nitroaniline and 4-nitrophenetole, was monitored using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The kinetics of the catalytic reduction of nitroaromatic compounds followed a pseudo-first-order reaction rate law. The Ni-ZIF/CNT nanocomposite prepared with 15 wt.% CNT exhibited the highest catalytic performance in the reduction of nitroaromatic compounds. The rate constants (k) for the reduction of 4-nitroaniline and 4-nitrophenetole by the Ni-ZIF/CNT nanocomposite containing 15 wt.% CNTs were 0.1930 and 0.1106, respectively.

Keywords: Ni-ZIF/CNT nanocomposite;reduction of nitroaromatic compounds;kinetics;pseudo-first order reaction