In this study, we introduce an in situ synthesis technique for incorporating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into a magnetic nanocomposite made of glucosamine and alginate (GluN/Alg) via ionotropic gelation. GluN acted as a reducing agent for gold ions, leading to the formation of AuNPs which embedded in the nanocomposite Fe3O4@GluN/Alg. Analytical techniques confirmed the crystallite structure of the nanocomposite AuNPs/Fe3O4@GluN/Alg, which had an average size of 30-40 nm. This nanocomposite demonstrated high catalytic efficiency in reducing 2-, 3-, and 4-nitrophenols, exhibiting rapid kinetics with pseudo-first order rate constants between 1.16 × 10-3 s-1 and 2.29 × 10-3 s-1. The reduction rates and recyclability for nitrophenols followed the order: 4-nitrophenol > 2-nitrophenol ∼ 3-nitrophenol. These results indicate that the nanocomposite holds significant promise for customized applications in environment and medicine, positioning it as a highly versatile material.
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