The synthesis of selectively deposited palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) inside tubular halloysite lumens is reported. This specific localization was directed by the selective modification of the aluminol surfaces of the clay mineral through stable Al-O-C bonds. An ionic liquid (1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium) was grafted onto halloysite following the guest displacement method (generally used for kaolinite) using halloysite-DMSO preintercalate. The characterization of this clay nanohybrid material (XRD, NMR, TGA) showed characteristics reminiscent of similar materials synthesized from kaolinite. The grafting on halloysite lumens was also effective without using the DMSO preintercalate. The presence of these new functionalities in halloysite directs the synthesis of uniform PdNPs with size ranging between 3 and 6 nm located exclusively in the lumens. This results from the selective adsorption of PdNPs precursors in functionalized lumens through an anion exchange mechanism followed by in situ reduction. In contrast, the unmodified clay mineral displayed nanoparticles both inside and outside the tubes. These catalysts showed significant catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The most efficient catalysts were recycled up to three times without reducing significantly the catalytic activities.

Palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) were deposited on the surface of the modified clay mineral, kaolinite. To improve compatibility, abundance and control of the size of the nanoparticles, kaolinite was modified by the grafting of an amino alcohol (triethanolamine (TEA)) and an ionic liquid (1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium (ImIL)). Characterization techniques (XRD, TGA, solid state (13)C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy) confirmed the effective grafting of these compounds on the internal surface of kaolinite. After the synthesis of PdNPs onto clay particles, TEM allowed the visualization of abundant PdNPs with sizes ranging from 4 to 6 nm, uniformly distributed onto the platelets of modified kaolinite. Unmodified clay showed low abundance and random distribution of the nanoparticles. The catalysts obtained were effective for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), the material with TEA being the most effective. These materials have exhibited excellent performance during the Heck and particularly the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions, with reaction yields up to 100%. These catalysts showed a very slight loss in activity for three consecutive catalytic cycles (less than 10% decrease of the activity compared to the first cycle). This was an evidence that the prior grafting modification of kaolinite helps in significantly improving the quality of the synthesized NPs and also promotes their strong attachment onto the clay mineral surface.

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