Nanostructured Ag3PO4 from natural phosphate: High-efficient catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and antibacterial studies.

Abstract In this paper, a novel approach was successfully developed for preparing nanostructured Ag3PO4 using Moroccan phosphate as a source for phosphorus precursor. The as-synthetized nanomaterial was characterized using various techniques. A pure crystalline Ag3PO4 phase was obtained after drying, exhibiting a mesoporous structure with specific surface area of 35 m2 g− 1. The use of this simple, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive procedure can be useful for the development of nanostructured Ag3PO4 catalyst with excellent catalytic activity for reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4 as reducing agent. Furthermore, the Ag3PO4 material was also used as an antibacterial agent against Escherichia-coli and Staphylococcus-aureus bacteria.