Green and recyclable catalyst based on chitosan/CuFe2O4 nanocomposite hydrogel for one-step synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles

Abstract

The scope of the heterogeneous catalysts has been greatly expanded in last few decades by the development of various catalysts. In this work a new chitosan-based nanocomposite hydrogel (CS/CuFe₂O₄ NCH) was synthesized as a high-performance heterogeneous catalyst and then, it was utilized for the green synthesis of substituted 1,2,3-triazoles by a multi-component (azide–alkyne-epoxide) cycloaddition reaction. The synthesized nanocomposite hydrogel was investigated by using various instrumental analyses, including FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, HRTEM, DLS, and TGA. The structure of one of the substituted 1,2,3-triazoles was studied by using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The nanocomposite hydrogel can be easily regenerate after the catalytic reaction. It can be reused frequently without considerable loss of activity. The high catalytic activity, straightforward reaction, easy recyclability, short reaction time, use of a green solvent, and the simple separation of catalyst are the main advantage of the current method, which offers both financial and environmental benefits.