Crosslinked polymer encapsulated palladium nanoparticles for catalytic reduction and Suzuki reactions in aqueous medium

Acrylamide and N-isopropylacrylamide were copolymerized in the presence of a N,N-methylenebisacrylamide crosslinker to obtain poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) [P(NA)] polymer colloidal particles. Pd nano crystals with diameter of 4–8 nm were loaded into the [P(NA)] microgels by reduction of [PdCl4]-2 within dispersion of polymer microgels. The Pd NPs-loaded hybrid microgels were analysed by TEM, STEM, EDX and XRD. The catalytic ability of the Pd-[P(NA)] system was investigated towards reductive transformation of nitroarenes into corresponding aryl amines and Suzuki coupling transformation in a green solvent, H2O. The progress of catalytic reaction was examined by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Different reactants were effectively converted into their corresponding products with great to fabulous yields (extending from 75 to 97%) under gentle reaction conditions. The Pd-[P(NA)] catalyst is stable for long time and can be utilized numerous times without any notable loss in its catalytic action.