A Bacteria Sol–Gel Template Approach to Form Palladium Core–Shell Catalysts for Suzuki–Miyaura Reactions

This study presents a sustainable and efficient method for fabricating core–shell structured palladium catalysts using a bacterial template and sol–gel synthesis. This synthesis aligns with green chemistry principles by minimizing waste and enhancing resource efficiency. Our results demonstrate that the bacterial template effectively stabilizes Pd nanoparticles (NPs), preventing significant agglomeration during synthesis and subsequent calcination under different atmospheres and final temperatures. The catalyst samples were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and TGA. The 1 wt% Pd/R@SiO2 catalyst exhibited high activity in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, achieving competitive yields. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated a stable performance over five consecutive cycles. This work underscores the potential of biotemplated synthesis as a versatile and eco-friendly platform for producing high-performance, tunable catalysts.