In Situ Preparation of Composite Redox-Active Micelles Bearing Pd Nanoparticles for the Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol.

Owing to the redox activity of the poly(ferrocenylsilane)-based polymer, several noble metal nanoparticles can be successfully prepared. As reported herein, the in situ preparation of Pd nanoparticles was performed using a redox-active platform of poly(ferrocenylmethylethylthiocarboxylpropylsilane) (PFC) micelles. PFC/Pd nanocomposites (NCs) with Pd nanoparticles uniformly dispersed at the surface of PFC nanospheres were obtained. The morphology of PFC/Pd NCs was further confirmed via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Taking advantage of Pd nanoparticles, the PFC/Pd NCs showed significant catalytic activity during the reduction process of 4-nitrophenol by sodium borohydride. Although PFC micelles themselves showed no catalytic activity, they promoted the catalytic behavior of Pd nanoparticles obviously by anchoring the Pd nanoparticles at their surface to avoid the aggregation and leaching of Pd nanoparticles. In all, PFC/Pd NCs exhibited great potential as a composite nanocatalyst. Moreover, the PFC micelle was found to be a desired platform for nanocatalysts.