Platinum single atoms dispersed on carbon nanotubes as reusable catalyst for Suzuki coupling reaction

•Pt single atoms on carbon nanotube were synthesized for Suzuki coupling reaction.•The Pt single atoms showed a remarkably high activity and recyclability.•The Pt single atoms were separated from the products by the simple filtering.

While a ligand-free condition for Suzuki coupling reaction is desirable to minimize the separation process of the final product, it adversely has affected a reaction kinetics. Herein, we report a promising candidate for active and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for ligand-free Suzuki coupling: Pt single atoms on thiolated multi-walled nanotubes. They demonstrated a complete conversion (>99%) in the ligand-free condition for 24 h, while conventional Pd or Pt complex catalysts showed just below 5% conversion. Also, they could be completely recollected by a simple filtering process and be recycled showing 82% yield retention after 12 cycles.

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