Green synthesis of bimetallic PdAg alloy nanoparticles supported on polydopamine-functionalized kaolin for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and organic dyes

A green and universal synthesis strategy was demonstrated for preparation of bimetallic PdAg alloy nanoparticles supported on polydopamine-functionalized kaolin (kaolin-PDA-PdAg), where bimetallic PdAg alloy was synthesized by co-reduction of Na₂PdCl₄ and AgNO₃ with sodium citrate. Characterization results, including TEM results and XPS results, confirmed that bimetallic PdAg was alloying state and kaolin-PDA-PdAg was successfully synthesized through mussel-inspired chemistry. The kaolin-PDA-PdAg nanocomposite exhibited excellent catalytic activity and performance towards reduction of 4-nitrophenol, whose rate constant was found to be 3.46 min⁻¹ under condition of high concentration (10 mM) of 4-nitrophenol. Besides, kaolin-PDA-PdAg nanocomposite showed high catalytic performance for methyl orange and safranine-T as well. The high catalytic activity of kaolin-PDA-PdAg could be elucidated by electronic effect and synergistic effect of bimetallic PdAg alloy. These results suggest that kaolin-PDA-PdAg composites could be applied as high-efficiency catalysts for reduction of 4-nitrophenol and degradation of organic dyes. Furthermore, abundance and low-priced of raw materials kaolin, green and versatility of synthetic method endow kaolin-PDA-PdAg composites with broad application prospects. Strategy of bimetallic PdAg alloy anchored on kaolin in this text could provide an efficient platform for synthesis of bimetallic alloy nanoparticles loaded on various materials.