Pulsed electrodeposited dendritic Pd-Ni alloy as a magnetically recoverable nanocatalyst for the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol

Highlights: • Dendritic Pd-Ni alloys were prepared with different atomic ratio by PED technique. • Catalytic behavior of Pd-Ni alloys towards 4-Nitrophenol reduction was analysed. • Pd₄₇Ni₅₃ shows upmost catalytic activity with kinetic rate constant of 0.55 min⁻¹. • The catalytic mechanism was proved to obey pseudo-first-order kinetics. Toxic 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is a notable contaminant in industrial waste water, and intrusion of waste water into water sources make prominent lethal contamination. As, 4-Aminophenol (4-AP), the reduced product of 4-Nitrophenol, is an important intermediate in the production of numerous drugs. Palladium-nickel alloy is an effective catalyst for the reduction of 4-NP. In this work, Pd-Ni alloys with different atomic ratio was synthesized by the pulsed electrodeposition technique and its catalytic performance was tested. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the fcc structure of Pd-Ni alloy with the crystallites size ranges from 17 to 21 nm. The interfacial electron transfer from Ni to Pd is revealed from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. High resolution scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirms the formation of dendrites structure. The magnetic behavior of the alloys was confirmed by Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) which reveals the ferromagnetic nature. The catalytic studies shows that Pd-Ni alloy have reduced the 4-NP with kinetic rate constant of 0.55 min⁻¹. The synergic effect of the Pd-Ni alloy exhibits the better catalytic activity than congruent individual metals.