Chitosan Microspheres from Shrimp Waste Supporting Pd Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids: An Efficient and Eco-Friendly Catalyst for Hydrogenation Reactions.

ABSTRACT

Palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) (ca. 4.8 nm) were synthesized from Palladium acetylacetonate [Pd(acac)2] using ionic liquids 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMI.PF6] or 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMI.N(Tf)2] as stabilizing agents. The catalyst named Pd NPs/IL/Chitosan, was characterized and analyzed by the different techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), infrared (IR) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method (BET), to evaluate the composition of the material as well as the texture, size, distribution, homogeneity, structure and surface area. The catalyst Pd NPs/IL/Chitosan exhibited high catalytic activity in the hydrogenation reactions, when compared to Pd NPs not supported; this fact is related possibly to the large surface area and the durability and stability provided by the support of the biopolymer in combination with ionic liquids.