Self-assembled spherical palladium/HMS nanocomposites and their catalytic application

Abstract

A novel palladium catalyst immobilised the mesoporous molecular sieve Hexagonal Mesoporous Silica (HMS) was prepared via a self-assembly process. The catalytic activity and recycle ability of the spherical palladium/HMS nanocomposites were examined for the Heck reaction. Palladium nanoparticles incorporated into HMS are characterised by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology of HMS is predominated with spheres, and Pd nanoparticles are randomly distributed throughout the entire silica framework without severe agglomeration. The heterogeneous catalyst is proved to be an active and reusable catalyst in the coupling of ethyl acrylate with aryl halides because of combination, the advantages of stabilising agent and mesoporous silica support.