Synthesis of smart bimetallic nano-Cu/Ag@SiO2 for clean oxidation of alcohols

Abstract

Here, we have demonstrated the synthesis and characterization of silica supported bimetallic copper/silver nanoparticles (Cu/Ag@SiO₂ NPs) and their application in the clean oxidation of benzoins/benzyl alcohols in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide as a mild oxidant. All the reactions were very fast (4 h) and high yielding (95–99%), and the Cu/Ag@SiO₂ NPs were very stable under the reaction conditions. The catalyst was recovered simply by filtration and reused eight times without loss of its catalytic performance.