Synthesis and characterization of ZnO incorporated magnetically recoverable KIT-6 as a novel and efficient catalyst in the preparation of symmetrical N, N′-alkylidene bisamides

Highlights: • ZnO immobilized magnetically recoverable KIT-6 was synthesized and characterized. • The obtained nanocomposite was used for the synthesis of Symmetrical N,N′-alkylidene bisamides. • The catalyst was magnetically recovered and reused for four times. • The prepared nanocomposite is more efficient than previously reported catalysts. - Abstract: A novel magnetically recoverable nanocomposite consisting of the NiFe₂O₄ core and KIT-6 mesoporous silica shell incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles was constructed. This nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). This new nanocomposite demonstrated a catalytic performance in the synthesis of symmetrical N,N′-alkylidene bisamides at the condensation reaction under solvent-free conditions. The nanocatalyst could simply be recovered from the reaction environment by using an exterior magnet and reused five times without a remarkable losing in the catalytic property.