Synthesis of Ag nanoparticles/ordered mesoporous carbon as a highly efficient catalyst for the electroreduction of benzyl bromide

To develop efficient catalysts for the electroreduction of organic halides, a facile one-pot synthesis of Ag nanoparticles/ordered mesoporous carbon electrode materials via the self-assembly of CH₃COOAg and resol in the presence of triblock copolymer is proposed. The resultant electrode materials possess uniform mesopore sizes (3.3 nm) and pore volumes (∼0.28 cm³ g^-1), high specific surface areas (∼500 m² g^-1), and uniformly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (12-36 nm) loaded within the carbon matrix. Cyclic voltammetry, measurements of electrochemically active surface area, and electrolysis experiments were conducted to understand the correlations between the catalytic ability and the structural and textural features of the catalysts. Excellent bibenzyl yield (98%) and remarkable reusability were obtained under mild conditions. The results confirm that the prepared nanocomposites show outstanding performance in the electroreduction degradation of PhCH₂Br to bibenzyl.