Preparation of Co-Pd bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in bamboo-like N-doped mesoporous carbon by a facile one-pot method for green Suzuki coupling

CoPd bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully encapsulated in bamboo-like N-doped mesoporous carbon (bNMC) via a facile one-pot method through combination of dissolving chelation and carbonization reactions. The morphology, structure and composition of CoPd-bNMC was verified by detailed characterization including SEM, TEM, EDX, XPS, XRD, N-2 adsorption-desorption, VSM, and ICP. The as-prepared CoPd/bNMC showed excellent activity and selectivity for Suzuki coupling under mild and green condition. Though the Pd content of CoPd/bNMC was half of Pd/bNMC, the catalytic performance of CoPd/bNMC was almost the same with Pd/bNMC, which was caused by its special bimetallic alloy structure, high BET surface area and pore volume. Importantly, CoPd/bNMC with magnetic property can be separated using external magnetic field and reused for five consecutive runs in the reaction of Suzuki crossing without significant loss of activity. It was found the Pd content only showed slight loss (2.3wt.%) after five reused reactions, which was because CoPd bimetallic NPs were inside the bamboo-like N-doped mesoporous carbon.