Electrocatalytic Synthesis of p-Aminophenol Using Fe‒Ag Composites

p-Aminophenol is synthesized by the electrocatalytic hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol catalyzed by Ag + Fe + Fe3O4 (or Fe2O3) composites formed in the course of thermal treatment and electrochemical reduction of silver ferrite AgFeO2. The AgFeO2 samples are synthesized by co-precipitation in the presence and in the absence of a polymer (polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone). It is found that polymers affect the phase composition of metal composites formed both in the stage of synthesis and also after thermal treatment and electrochemical reduction. It is shown that the thus prepared Fe–Ag-containing composites exhibit the high electrocatalytic activity in the electrohydrogenation of p-nitrophenol, increasing its hydrogenation rate by a factor 2.2–2.7 as compared with its electrochemical reduction under similar conditions.