Metal nanoparticles are getting great attention in material science and engineering fields because they have special properties. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are regarded as one of the most attractive metallic nanoparticle used as catalyst. However, according to their small size with high surface energy, direct introduction of them in the reaction system can readily lead to aggregation which is a reason of their catalytic activity decrement. Moreover, sufficient separation and recycling of the AuNPs from the reaction mixtures are generally hard because of the difficulty in handling. As a consequence, immobilization of the AuNPs into various solid supports has been developed. Cellulose can be an ideal choice of support due to its abundant, low cost, poor solubility and good chemical stability. For example, composite material of cellulose and AuNPs converts 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol at normal temperature and under an atmospheric pressure. 4-aminophenol is an intermediate of a pain-killer and an antifebrile.
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