Pd(0) decorated MnO2 modified cotton fabric: a bio-based catalyst for organic transformations

The development of novel bio-based heterogeneous catalytic systems with easy separation and recyclability is significant in chemical synthesis. In this work, palladium nanoparticles have been successfully anchored onto the surface of MnO2 modified cotton fabric via a facile method for synthesizing Pd(0)@MnO2–CF catalyst. Several characterization methods, including field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray electron microscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS), were used to confirm the immobilization of palladium nanoparticles on to the cotton fabric. The catalytic activity of the synthesized catalyst, Pd(0)@MnO2–CF, was evaluated for oxidation of alcohols, oxidative deprotection of oximes and degradation of methyl orange, for which the catalyst demonstrated good activity and selectivity. The developed catalyst is easy to handle and can be separated from the reaction mixture using laboratory tweezers. It eliminates the need to employ other tedious work-up procedures. Further, the reusability of Pd(0)@MnO2–CF was studied by performing oxidation of 4-bromobenzyl alcohol and oxidative deprotection of 4-bromobenzaldehyde oxime consecutively five times, and a minor loss in catalytic activity was observed suggesting high stability of the developed catalyst.