Easy and One-Step Synthesis of Ir Single Atom Doped PPy Nanoparticles for Highly Active N-Alkylation Reaction

Single atoms are nowadays considered new catalysts offering a lot of advantages such as reduced cost and use of noble metals. Here, we report the catalytic activity towards N-alkylation reactions of single atoms (SACs) of iridium doped polypyrrole (Ir-PPy nanoparticles). The new nanocatalyst exhibits excellent behavior due to the combination of highly active SACs catalyst and the organic conductive support providing strong binding of single atoms and thus improved reusability and easiness to handle. In the presence of a low amount of Ir and of a suitable base, excellent activity (yield >99 %) and selectivity (>99 %) were obtained. In the optimized Ir condition (3 wt.% of Ir) an aniline conversion of about 99 %, with excellent selectivity, just after 600 min, was obtained. Recyclability tests show that the catalyst can be successfully recycled six times without significant catalyst activity loss.

Automated summary

The use of single-atom catalysts, such as iridium doped polypyrrole nanoparticles, in N-alkylation reactions shows excellent catalytic performance with high activity and selectivity. The optimized conditions allow for 99% aniline conversion with excellent selectivity, while the catalyst can be recycled six times without significant loss of activity.