Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Pd@rGO-CuFe2O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles: A Recyclable Catalyst for C-C Coupling Reaction in Biomass-Derived Organic Solvent

Development of new, cost effective, stable heterogeneous catalyst for the organic transformations is an important thematic area of research. Present work describes the development of new Pd@rGO-CuFe2O4 catalyst and demonstrates its effectiveness for Suzuki-Miyaura type coupling reactions. The additional advantage of this reaction is its feasibility using biomass-derived solvent like gamma-Valerolactone (GVL) in aqueous media. The catalyst is prepared hydrothermally and characterized using XRD, FESEM, EDX, and XPS analysis. The catalyst exhibits excellent activity and recyclability (up to six times) in the C-C coupling reaction to deliver the corresponding biaryl molecules in yields up to 90 %. High efficiency for the conversion of nitriles to amides is also revealed by the prepared catalyst.