Fibrous nano-silica supported palladium nanoparticles: An efficient catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol under mild conditions

•The Pd/KCC-1 catalyst with low cost is easy to prepare.•Pd NPs were well-dispersed on the fibers of the KCC-1 without aggregation.•The catalyst with easy accessible area attributed to its fibers and not pores.•The catalyst showed high activity for the reduction of 4-NP and HDC of 4-CP.

In this study, a fibrous nano-silica supported palladium nanocatalyst (Pd/KCC-1), which features with easy accessibility of active sites and high catalytic activity, was synthesized by a simple, cost-effective procedure. The Pd/KCC-1 nanocatalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol in aqueous solution under mild condition. The unique dendritic fibrous morphology of the support led to the poor aggregation of the Pd nanoparticles and dramatically increased its accessibility. The easy accessibility and excellent catalytic activity demonstrated by the Pd/KCC-1 nanocatalyst make it a promising candidate for various Pd-based catalytic applications.

Graphical abstractFibrous nano-silica supported palladium nanocatalyst (Pd/KCC-1) with easy accessibility of active sites and high catalytic activity was synthesized by a simple cost effective procedure.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide