Ni nanowires decorated with Pd nanoparticles as an efficient nanocatalytic system for Suzuki coupling of anisole derivatives

Abstract

Suzuki-Miyaura reaction enables the formation of biaryl compounds containing diverse functional groups. This work reports the development of a nanocatalytic system, which enhances the coupling of anisole derivatives using this reaction framework. Composite nanocatalysts were prepared by decorating nickel nanowires (Ni NWs) made in-house with spherical palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs). Sonochemical deposition of noble catalytic centers on metallic nanowires proved to be fast and effective under mild conditions. Precise control of the concentration of Pd NPs on the nanowire surface enabled studying the impact of the content of noble metal on the reaction course. The lowest evaluated load of Pd (0.34 %) exhibited the best catalytic performance. Moreover, it was noted that the application of microwaves considerably increased the catalytic activity of the system due to the formation of hot spots on Pd NPs. As a result, the reaction times were shortened substantially without negatively influencing the yields of the transformations. The proposed novel approach for nanocatalyst design should inspire further studies in modern organic chemistry, especially since the proposed catalytic system is highly efficient and entirely reusable.