One-pot synthesis of pompon-like magnetic hollow SiO2-supported Ag nanoparticles for catalytic application

In this paper, we develop a novel pompon-like magnetic hollow SiO2 -supported Ag (SiO2 @Ag) nanoparticles, in which small silver and magnetic nanoparticles were loaded on the hollow silica shell by one-pot solvothermal method. FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM and BET were applied to characterized the structure and morphology of the magnetic hollow SiO2 @Ag nanoparticles. The synthesized material has not only high stability and monodispersity, but also uniform surface element distribution along with good magnetic response. On this basis, we studied the catalytic performance of this pompon-like magnetic hollow SiO2 @Ag nanoparticles for the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds, and further carried out extended researches on substrates scope. Research results indicate that the pompon-like magnetic hollow SiO2 @Ag nanoparticles have broad-spectrum catalytic activity for the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds. After recycling for 8 times, it can still maintain 90% catalytic efficiency. This study provides a facile strategy for constructing hollow hierarchical structure, and expands the application of noble metal nanoparticles in organic transformation.