One-step synthesis of PdCu@Ti3C2 with high catalytic activity in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction

Abstract

Owing to their enhanced catalytic stability and cyclability, two-dimensional (2D) material-supported Pd-based bimetallic alloys have promising applications for catalytic reactions. Furthermore, the alloying strategy can effectively reduce costs and improve catalytic performance. In this paper, we report a one-step reduction method to synthesize a novel heterogeneous catalyst, PdCu@Ti₃C₂, with good catalytic performance. The composition and structure of the as-prepared catalyst were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalyst particles, which were identified as a PdCu bimetallic alloy, exhibited good dispersion on the substrate. The performance of the catalyst in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction was studied, and the results showed that PdCu@Ti₃C₂ had excellent catalytic activity, similar to that of homogeneous Pd catalysts such as Pd(PPh₃)₄. Moreover, the prepared catalyst could be reused at least 10 times in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction with high yield.