Green synthesis of the Pd nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide using barberry fruit extract and its application as a recyclable and heterogeneous catalyst for the reduction of nitroarenes

•Green synthesis of the Pd NPs/RGO using barberry fruit extract without application of toxic reagents or surfactant template.•The Pd NPs/RGO can efficiently catalyze the reduction of nitroarenes.•The advantages of the Pd NPs/RGO are high efficiently, reusability and operational simplicity.

Through this manuscript the green synthesis of palladium nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide (Pd NPs/RGO) under the mild conditions through reduction of the graphene oxide and Pd2+ ions using barberry fruit extract as reducing and stabilizing agent is reported. The as-prepared Pd NPs/RGO was characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The Pd NPs/RGO could be used as an efficient and heterogeneous catalyst for reduction of nitroarenes using sodium borohydride in an environmental friendly medium. Excellent yields of products were obtained with a wide range of substrates and the catalyst was recycled multiple times without any significant loss of its catalytic activity.

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