CNC/CTAB/Ag nanohybrid catalyst with small size and narrow particle distribution, was synthesized by a facile method.
The steric barriers and increased charges from CTAB surfactant contributed to the improved Ag NPs stability and dispersity.
CNC/CTAB/Ag nanohybrid catalyst exhibited an excellent catalytic activity (545 h−1) and pseudo-first order rate constant (1.6 × 10−3 s−1) in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by NaBH