Supramolecular photocatalyst of Palladium (II) Encapsulated within Dendrimer on TiO2 nanoparticles for Photo-induced Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira Cross-Coupling reactions

In this study, synthesis, characterization and catalytic performance of a novel supramolecular photocatalytic system including palladium (II) encapsulated within amine-terminated poly (triazine-triamine) dendrimer modified TiO2 nanoparticles (Pd (II) [PTATAD] @ TiO2) is presented. The obtained nanodendritic catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, ICP-AES, XPS, EDS, TEM, TGA and UV-DRS. The as-prepared nanodendritic catalyst was shown to be highly active, selective, and recyclable for the Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira cross-coupling of a wide range of aryl halides including electron-rich and electron-poor and even aryl chlorides, affording the corresponding biaryl compounds in good to excellent yields under visible light irradiation. This study shows that visible light irradiation can drive the cross-coupling reactions on the Pd (II) [PTATAD] @ TiO2 under mild reaction conditions (27-30 degrees C) and no additional additives such as cocatalysts or phosphine ligands. So, we propose that the improved photoactivity predominantly benefits from the synergistic effects of Pd (II) amine-terminated poly (triazine-triamine) dendrimer on TiO2 nanoparticles that cause efficient separation and photogenerated electron-hole pairs and photoredox capability of nanocatalyst which all of these advantages due to the tuning of band gap of catalyst in the visible light region.