Co3O4@mSiO2 nanocomposite supported Pd/ionic liquid as an efficient and magnetically recoverable nanocatalyst

Abstract

In this work, a novel core–shell structured magnetic Co3O4@mSiO2 nanocomposite supported ionic liquid/palladium (Co3O4@mSiO2/IL-Pd) is synthesized and its structure is characterized by using PXRD, EDX, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, TGA and VSM. This magnetic material was prepared through coating of mesoporous silica shell on magnetic cobalt oxide nanoparticles followed by chemical immobilization of ionic liquid/Pd complex. The Co3O4@mSiO2/IL-Pd nanocomposite was used as an efficient and powerful catalyst for the reduction of nitrobenzenes. The excellent yield of the products, short reaction time and easy catalyst recoverability with no significant decrease in activity showed the high efficiency and stability of the designed nanocomposite under applied conditions.