Diamine-functionalized porous graphene oxide sheets decorated with palladium oxide nanoparticles for the oxidative amidation of aldehydes.

In this work, a simple and stepwise strategy has been adopted for the successful synthesis of diamine functionalized porous graphene oxide sheets decorated with ultra-small palladium oxide nanoparticles. The successful synthesis, stepwise functionalization, morphology and elemental composition have been authenticated by using numerous physicochemical characterization techniques such as FT-IR, TGA, powder XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, EDAX, elemental mapping, CHNS, ICP-MS and XPS analyses. The prepared nano-catalyst has been employed as a recyclable catalyst for the oxidative amidation of aldehydes with amines. The main features of this nano-catalyst include mild reaction conditions, simple work-up procedure, high product yield without any hazardous by-products and recyclability for several catalytic cycles. It could be believed that the unique porous architecture of the nano-catalyst was responsible for the enhanced specific surface area which favors a quick response and improved interaction between the catalytic active moieties and the reactants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]