KCC-1 supported palladium nanoparticles as an efficient and sustainable nanocatalyst for carbonylative Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling

This work reports a cost-effective and sustainable protocol for the carbonylative Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction catalyzed by palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) supported on fibrous nanosilica (KCC-1). Under mild reaction conditions, the KCC-1-PEI/Pd catalytic system showed a turnover number (TON) 28-times and a turnover frequency (TOF) 51-times higher than the best supported Pd catalyst reported in the literature for the carbonylative cross-coupling between 4-iodoanisole and phenylboronic acid, as a test reaction. Also, the catalyst could be recycled up to ten times with a marginal loss in activity after the eighth cycle. The high activity of the catalyst can be attributed to the fibrous nature of the KCC-1 support and PEI functionalization provided the enhanced stability.