Preparation of a novel palladium catalytic hydrogel based on graphene oxide/chitosan NPs and cellulose nanowhiskers

The present paper focuses on the synthesis of a novel hydrogel support by combining polysaccharides (chitosan NPs and dialdehyde cellulose nanowhiskers) and graphene oxide nanosheets to obtain a biocompatible material for catalytic applications. The hydrogel was synthesized via green chemistry processes and used as a support to prepare Pd nanoparticles. Finally, the hydrogel@Pd NPs was employed as the catalyst in the Mizoroki-Heck reaction to generate new C-C bonds. SEM analysis indicated that the hydrogel has macroporous morphology, which is in good correlation with its high crosslinking degree. The as-synthesized nanocomposite hydrogel exhibits beneficial properties such as ease of separation and excellent recyclability for at least six cycles without considerable loss in its activity. The yields of the products range from 81% to 98%. Additionally, this study provides the possibility to perform the Mizoroki-Heck reaction with aryl chloride in the presence of the as-prepared catalyst.