Carboxymethyl β-Cyclodextrin Assistance for the 4-Nitrophenol Reduction Using Cobalt-Based Layered Double Hydroxides

Abstract

Cobalt-aluminum-layered double hydroxides containing carboxymethyl β-cyclodextrin (CMβCD) were synthesized by coprecipitation and evaluated as a cobalt source for the 4-nitrophenol reduction in an aqueous medium. Several physicochemical techniques (XRD, FTIR, TGA) indicated the intercalation of the anionic cyclodextrin without damages to the hydrotalcite-type structure. These lamellar cobalt-aluminum hybrid materials (CoAl_CMβCD) were evaluated in the 4-nitrophenol reduction and showed higher activities in comparison with the CMβCD-free standard material (CoAl_CO3). To rationalize these results, a set of experimental controls going from physical mixtures of CoAl_CO3 with different cyclodextrins to other cobalt-based materials were investigated, highlighting the beneficial effects of both the layered double hydroxide and CMβCD-based hybrid structures. CMβCD also showed a beneficial effect as an additive during the 4-nitrophenol reduction. CoAl_CO3, dispersed in a fresh CMβCD solution could be re-used for five successive cycles without the loss of activity.