Reduction of Nitroarenes Using Efficient PdRu@mSiO2 Nanocatalyst Synthesized by a One-Pot Approach

Abstract

In the present work, PdRu@mSiO₂ bimetallic core-shell nanoreactors (NRs) are synthesized for the first time by a fine-tuning one-pot method. The obtained NRs are evaluated in the reduction of nitroarenes using 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene (1-Cl-4-NB), 4-nitrotoluene (4-NT) and 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) as reagents. The mesoporous PdRu@mSiO₂ NRs with a Pd1:Ru1 molar ratio present a homogenous spherical morphology with a single nucleus per capsule. Various techniques confirm the formation of Pd-Ru alloy. The bimetallic NRs show higher catalytic activity and stability compared with the reference catalysts (free and supported nanoparticles (NPs)) and with those reported in the literature. The order of catalytic activity for studied nitroarene compounds is 4-NP>1-Cl-4-NB>2,4-DNP>4-NT. The catalytic activity of NRs is affected by inter and intramolecular interactions between the reagent molecules. The one-pot method of NRs synthesis is low-cost and effective, with possible application in the catalytic reduction of various hazardous materials.