LAUSR

Abstract Supported gold (Au) catalysts appear attractive for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol, a promising method for eliminating 4-NP pollutant in water media. Selecting an appropriate support is a crucial step for obtaining supported Au catalysts with excellent activity. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that cyanuric acid-based material (CAM) is an appropriate support material, where Au/CAM catalysts catalyze the 4-NP reduction in water at room temperature. The reaction time for complete conversion of 4-NP can be reduced by ~ 10 times to even two orders of magnitude compared to some other reported supported Au catalysts and depending on the reaction conditions used. Moreover, CAM can be obtained using an extremely simple and green synthesis method.