Correlation of the catalytic behavior with the TOF and TON indices of three bimetallic alloy nanoparticles assisted by a NaBH4/visible irradiation system for phenolic compounds in their aqueous solutions

The invention of fabricating new metal catalysts has remained a viable solution for eradicating aquatic diseases caused by oil pollutants with specific treatments. The objective’s work was divided into two parts: First, to fabricate three alloy nanoparticles (AuAg NPs, PtAu NPs and PtAg NPs) with different structural properties using the probe sonication method. The second part of the aim is to evaluate their different structural performances through a correlation study (catalytic behavior & catalytic indices). The three pure fabricated alloy nanoparticles were crystallized according to the FCC system with well-defined crystalline indices, as determined by the XRD pattern study and EDX spectra for each of them. The surface morphology of the as-fabricated nanospheres was varied based on FESEM images. The catalytic behavior of two petroleum derivatives that polluted the aquatic environment (4-nitrophenol and 2,4-nitrophenol) was studied in the presence/absence of NaBH₄ under visible light irradiation. By calculating the conversion rate of the two contaminants, the AuAg NPs and PtAg NPs were higher than that of the PtAu NPs. Furthermore, the conversion of 2,4-nitrophenol was significantly better than that of 4-nitrophenol. In addition, the conversion to 2,4-nitrophenol was significantly better than to 4-nitrophenol. The results showed a good correlation between the conversion ratio and the TON and TOF indices, where the significant change of both supported the outstanding catalytic performance of this group of alloys.