Magnetically separable nanocatalyst (IL@CuFe2O4-L-Tyr-TiO2/TiTCIL): Preparation, characterization and its applications in 1,2,3-triazole synthesis and in photodegradation of MB

Abstract

The present work encompasses the synthesis of novel heterogeneous magnetic nanocatalyst(IL@CuFe2O4-L-Tyr-TiO2/TiTCIL) and its characterization by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), X-ray powder diffraction (P-XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. XPS analysis confirms the presence of Cu as Cu1+ and Cu2+ by the effect of the linker in IL@CuFe2O4-L-Tyr-TiO2/TiTCIL. It provides an eco-friendly procedure with several advantages such as operational simplicity, water as the solvent, short reaction time, easy workup and excellent yields in the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles via Click reaction. The catalyst showed recyclability up to seven runs in Click reaction and the recycled catalyst was also characterized by HR-TEM, FEG-SEM and XPS. In Click reaction, one single crystal of 1-benzyl-4-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole was grown. Its energetic features, non-covalent interactions, molecular electrostatic potential surfaces, and packing arrangement were calculated by using the B3LYP-D3/def2-TZVP level of theory and the Bader's quantum theory of "Atoms in molecules" (QTAIM). Moreover, IL@CuFe2O4-L-Tyr-TiO2/TiTCIL also displayed good photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue dye in visible light.