Direct deposition of copper nanoparticles on poly(glycidyl methacrylate) beads

Fabrication of Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on the Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) to prepare Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) core/copper nanoparticle shell nanocomposite (PGMA/Cu nanohybrid) by deposition method. The deposition method consists of two simple steps (i) The synthesis of PGMA beads by suspension polymerization followed by (ii) direct deposition of CuNPs on activated PGMA beads. The PGMA beads were used as a soft template to host the CuNPs without surface modification of it. Two different concentrations of copper salts (1% and 5%) were employed to know the effect of concentration on the shape and size of nanoparticles. The catalytic activity of PGMA/Cu nanohybrids were tested for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol (4NP) to 4‐aminophenol (4AP) with an excess amount of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The results showed that, the diverse sizes and shapes of CuNPs were deposited on the PGMA matrix. The X‐ray diffraction study revealed that the CuNPs were present on the surface of the PGMA matrix. The scanning electron microscopic images show that the fabrication of CuNPs on the PGMA matrix changes the morphology and nature of PGMA beads significantly. The catalytic studies have demonstrated that the PGMA/Cu nanohybrid 1% exhibit better catalytic activity than 5%. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:1913–1921, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers