Bio-derived CuO nanocatalyst for oxidation of aldehyde: a greener approach

Eco-friendly synthesis of hierarchical CuO nanoparticles using the peel of Musa balbisiana and its application as a nanocatalyst in oxidation of aldehyde to the corresponding carboxylic acid is reported here. CuO nanoparticles were characterized by using XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM and PL techniques. In XRD analysis, significant peaks appeared at 18.2, 24.6, 33.3, 34.9, 35.5, 38.6 and 42.3. The SEM images indicate the formation of a micro flower hierarchical CuO architecture. The hierarchical CuO architecture is found to be made up of 2D nanosheets as building blocks, which were self assembled to form micro flower like assemblies. The synthesized CuO nanoparticles are efficiently utilised in the oxidation of aldehyde to the corresponding carboxylic acid in the presence of 30% H2O2 with high yields. The utilization of the CuO nanocatalyst in the oxidation reaction in environmental friendly conditions is the novelty in this study.