Chelated palladium nanoparticles on the surface of plasma‐treated polyethersulfone membrane for an efficient catalytic reduction of p‐nitrophenol

Abstract

Herein, a novel method was reported for the use of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes in catalytic reactions with an enhanced distribution and superior catalytic activity of palladium nanoparticles immobilized on the surface of the membranes. For this purpose, the surface of PES membrane was treated with plasma, and subsequently, the consequent oxygen‐containing functional groups were reacted with APTES and 2‐pyridinecarbaldehyde, respectively, to provide sites by which Pd could form complexes. The mean roughness as well as the surface and cross‐sectional morphology were investigated using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. Furthermore, SEM mapping was used to examine the palladium distribution on the surface of the membranes. Further characterizations of as‐prepared Pd‐loaded PES membranes conducted using EDX, ICP, and XRD analyses. The reduction of p‐nitrophenol to p‐aminophenol was also used as a model reaction to investigate the membranes' performance. The results, analyzed using UV‐Vis instrument, demonstrated that the complete reduction of p‐nitrophenol was achieved at a short time via Pd‐chelated plasma‐treated membrane. Furthermore, the rod‐like and sphere‐like structure of Pd was acquired as a result of palladium chelating with nitrogen‐containing ligands, produced through the reaction between 2‐pyridinecarbaldehyde and (3‐Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane. It was observed that the rod‐like structure of Pd exhibited a trivial catalytic activity in reduction of p‐nitrophenol to p‐aminophenol in contrast with the sphere‐like structure, nonetheless.