Cucurbit[6]uril Glued Magnetic Clay Hybrid as a Catalyst for Nitrophenol Reduction

Cucurbit[6]uril (CB6) was used as a molecular glue for preparation of a new hybrid material using exfoliated montmorillonite clay and copper ferrite magnetic nanoparticles. Hybrid material was prepared by ultra-sonication method and characterised by FTIR, DR UV–Vis, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, TGA and BET surface area measurements. The catalytic activity of the hybrid was examined for reduction of a potential industrial pollutant, 4-nitrophenol. The hybrid exhibited good catalytic activity (k app 0.026 s −1 ) with low catalyst loading (∼0.05 mg/ml) and was found suitable for large scale application. The hybrid catalyst was successfully recycled and reused up to eight reaction cycles without any loss in catalytic activity. Here, CB6 acted like a molecular glue stabilising the hybrid catalyst. This greatly improved reusability in comparison with bare nanoparticles and clay composite. This approach where CB6 was used as a molecular glue can be conveniently utilised for stabilising nanoparticles on various solid support materials to develop better quality catalysts, composites and hybrid materials. Graphic Abstract