Fe nanoparticles encapsulated in MOF-derived carbon for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and methyl orange in water

Herein, magnetic C@Fe nanocatalyst was prepared via the direct carbonization of Fe-BDC (benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid) metal organic framework and utilized for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and methyl orange (MO). The nanocatalyst was characterized using VSM, TEM, SEM, EDS, FTIR, XRD and TGA instruments. The nanocatalyst showed excellent catalytic performance and good reusability. The calculated apparent rate constant was 1.34 min−1 and 0.92 min−1 for the 4-NP and MO reduction, which is higher than that of numerous previously reported nanocatalysts. Consequently, magnetically recoverable C@Fe nanocatalyst could be considered as a promising nanocatalyst due to their easy preparation and excellent activity. [Display omitted] •C@Fe nanocatalyst was prepared by direct carbonization of Fe-BDC MOF.•Carbonization temperature plays a vital role for the phase transition.•VSM measurements confirmed the ferromagnetic behavior of C@Fe nanocatalyst.•C@Fe-800 can catalyze 4-NP and MO reduction reaction in 4 min.•The prepared catalyst is very stable and magnetically separable.