Bimetallic nano-Pd/PdO/Cu system as a highly effective catalyst for the Sonogashira reaction

•Nano-Pd was transferred from the SiO2 carrier to the Cu carrier by SiO2 etching.•SEM, TEM and HRTEM analyses proved nano-Pd transfer to the prepared Pd/Cu system.•XPS studies of the prepared Pd/Cu system revealed the development of a PdO species.•Pd/PdO/Cu was a highly efficient and selective catalyst in Sonogashira reactions.

A copper-supported nanopalladium catalyst obtained by an innovative method of nanoparticle transfer from the intermediate carrier SiO2 to the target Cu carrier was a highly efficient and selective catalyst, giving as much as quantitative conversion and yield in a series of Sonogashira reactions. Comparisons with other Pd systems, especially Pd/SiO2, indicated substantial advantages for this novel catalytic system. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies of the prepared Pd/Cu catalyst revealed the development of a PdO species in the Pd/Cu system and illustrated for the first time the importance of the resulting Pd/PdO/Cu system for efficient Sonogashira coupling.

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