Hierarchical NiZn Solid Solution as a Highly Efficient Palladium Free Heterogeneous Catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction

In this report, surfactant free solid solution of NiZnwith a hierarchicalarchitecture was synthesized via a one-pot colloidal approach. Evidencesupporting hierarchical crystal growth and alloying of metals at theatomic level was obtained from field emission scanning electron microscopyand transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-raydata. Lattice sites of face-centered metallic Ni were found to beoccupied by Zn as evident from powder X-ray diffraction where a gradualshift in the peak position and increase in the average lattice parameterupon reduction of the Ni content in the alloy samples can be observed.This well-alloyed, magnetically separable, non-noble metal-based solidsolution has the potential to replace the palladium-based catalystin the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of aryl halides (-Cl/-Br)and phenylboronic acid. The nanostructured catalyst was formed throughthe assembly of a triangular spiked and sheet-like structure and ismagnetically well separable that is stable enough under the catalyticreaction condition. The developed heterogeneous catalyst and the designedeconomical catalytic model are the first ever reported work. The catalyticresults outperformed most of the reported state-of-the-art works involvingthe transition metal-based catalyst.