Pt/Pd/Fe Trimetallic Nanoparticle Produced via Reverse Micelle Technique: Synthesis, Characterization, and Its Use as an Efficient Catalyst for Reductive Hydrodehalogenation of Aryl and Aliphatic Halides under Mild Conditions

The Pt/Pd/Fe trimetallic nanoparticle (Pt/Pd/Fe T-NP) was prepared using a water-in-oil microemulsion system of water/AOT/isooctane at room temperature. This nanoparticle (NP) was physically characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses. The said NP was used as catalyst for hydrodehalogenation (HDH) of halogenated organic compounds (HOCs), and its capability in hydrodechlorination (HDC) of chlorobenzene was compared with Pt/Pd, Pt/Fe, and Pd/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles (B-NPs) synthesized via the same method. The formation of mixed Pt/Pd/Fe ensembles results in an enhanced overall activity and reusability of HDC reaction, compared with Pd/Fe catalyst which acted as the best B-NP. Recycling experiments were examined for HDC of chlorobenzene. To get a maximum conversion of HDC, the reaction parameters like the effect of solvent, amounts of catalyst and ammonium formate were optimized. According to the results, HOCs, including electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substrates, were reduced smoothly. Finally, a mechanism for HDH reaction on the Pt/Pd/Fe catalyst surface was proposed.