Chitin hydrogel stabilized Fe3O4 nanoparticles as an efficient and sustainable catalyst for nitro reduction

Magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were synthesized via a co-precipitation method and subsequently stabilized within a chitin hydrogel matrix. The resulting nanocomposite was thoroughly characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDX to confirm successful synthesis and material properties. The catalytic activity of the chitin-stabilized Fe3O4 nanoparticles was evaluated by investigating the reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenol and o-nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH4 at ambient temperature. The catalyst demonstrated high efficiency, achieving complete reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenol and o-nitrophenol within 30 and 10 min respectively.The Fe₃O₄-chitin composite catalyst demonstrated excellent reusability, retaining its catalytic activity over five consecutive cycles with no significant loss in efficiency.This facile, green synthetic approach yields an efficient, biocompatible, biodegradable, and easily separable catalytic system.