ISSN: 0256-1115 (print version) ISSN: 1975-7220 (electronic version)
Copyright © 2025 KICHE. All rights reserved

Overall

Language
English
Conflict of Interest
In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Publication history
Received April 5, 2025
Revised July 11, 2025
Accepted July 25, 2025
Available online September 25, 2025
articles This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright © KIChE. All rights reserved.

Most Cited

Ultrafast Kinetics of 4-Nitrophenol Reduction via Coral-Like Nanostructured Cu Mesh Monitored By Real-Time UV–Vis Absorption Spectroscopy

Department of Chemical Engineering , Kwangwoon University
korea1@kw.ac.kr
Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, September 2025, 42(11), 2513-2522(10)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-025-00529-7

Abstract

Analyzing ultrafast liquid-phase reactions in real time presents signifi cant challenges owing to their rapid kinetics. In this

study, by employing the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) as a model reaction, we demonstrate the

feasibility of real-time kinetic analysis using UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. This reaction, which was completed within

10 s, was successfully monitored and analyzed to understand the limitations of conventional ultrafast reaction methods and

explore steps to overcome them. A novel coral-like ultrasonic-treated Cu (UCu) mesh fabricated via sulfi dation and ultrasonic

treatments was utilized as the catalyst for this reaction, resulting in a high specifi c surface area and abundant active sites.

The UCu mesh exhibited an apparent rate constant of 0.353 s −1 , signifi cantly outperforming other reported catalysts, such

as ZnO@Cu (0.043 s −1 ) and Cu nanowires (0.076 s −1 ). Compared to Cu and CuS meshes, the UCu mesh demonstrated a

29- to 58-fold improvement in catalytic performance under identical conditions. These results demonstrate the eff ectiveness

of integrating real-time UV–Vis spectroscopy with advanced nanostructured catalysts for ultrafast reaction analyses. This

study establishes the UCu mesh as a highly effi cient and reusable catalyst with promising applications in environmental and

industrial processes requiring rapid catalytic reactions.

The Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers. F5,119, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
TEL. No. +82-2-458-3078FAX No. +82-507-804-0669E-mail : kiche@kiche.or.kr

Copyright (C) KICHE.all rights reserved.

- Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering 상단으로