Synthetic incorporation of palladium-nickel bimetallic nanoparticles within mesoporous silica/silica nanoparticles as efficient and cheaper catalyst for both cationic and anionic dyes degradation.

Nickel-palladium bimetallic nanocrystallite supported mesoporous silica/silica nanoparticles (MSPs/MSNPs) made at a controlled ratio of Pd/Ni via organotrialkoxysilane mediated reduction of palladium cations are reported. The organotrialkoxysilane serve as a template for the stabilization and formation of bimetallic Pd-Ni nanocrystallite within MSPs/MSNPs that are characterized by TEM, EDX, HR-SEM, HR-MS, XRD, BET and Elemental mapping analysis, kinetic analysis for degradation of both cationic and anionic dyes, i.e., rhodamine B and congo red, respectively. The nanocrystallite inserted MSNPs of particle diameter 200 nm justify faster degradation with rate constant to the order of 6.9 x10s as compared to that for MSPs of 50 µm to the order of 3.2 x10 s for 15 ppm Rh B within 50 s as compared to that for mesoporous silica of 50 µm within 110 s under similar conditions with analogous observation for the degradation of congo red. Heterogeneous support is fully recyclable and shows 100% catalytic activity even after five subsequent applications. The degradation dynamics have further been evaluated based on fluorescent spectra and HR-MS analysis.