Formation of reusable Au-acetonitrile polymers and N-doped graphene catalyst under UV light via submerged liquid plasma processElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4ta05586a

In this study, acetonitrile polymers (ANPs) synthesized using a submerged liquid plasma (SLP) process were used for the direct reduction of Au 3+ under ultraviolet (UV) light without the need for reducing or templating agents. Nitrogen-functionalized graphene (NFG) and ANPs, both synthesized via the SLP process were used to form a Au-ANPs-NFG nanohybrid. The pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen present in the NFG effectively chemisorbs or binds with ANPs through π-π or σ-π interaction. The ANPs provide excellent control over the Au nanoparticle formation size (∼5 nm), as confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectra revealed that the difference in the chemical shift between Au 4f 5/2 and Au 4f 7/2 peaks was 3.7 eV, which confirms that the reduced form of Au 0 was present in Au-ANPs-NFG. A UV-visible absorbance spectrum further confirms the reduction of Au 3+ to Au 0 under 254 nm UV light. The catalytic activity of the as-synthesized Au-ANPs-NFG was used for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde in both suspended and immobilized forms. The Au-ANPs-NFG immobilized on Pyrex glass resulted in 69% conversion of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. The reuse of immobilized Au-ANPs-NFG led to 69%, 64%, and 61% successive conversions with a reaction time of 330 min. In this study, acetonitrile polymers (ANPs) synthesized using a submerged liquid plasma (SLP) process were used for the direct reduction of Au 3+ under ultraviolet (UV) light without the need for reducing or templating agents.