Highly efficient polymer supported monodisperse ruthenium-nickel nanocomposites for dehydrocoupling of dimethylamine borane.

In the present study, highly effective and reusable monodisperse ruthenium-nickel (Ru-Ni) nanomaterials supported on poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (Ru-Ni@PVP) were synthesized (3.51 ± 0.38 nm) by a facile sodium-hydroxide-assisted reduction method; Ru and Ni reduction in PVP solution was accomplished. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized by TEM, HRTEM, XRD, and XPS and performed as a catalyst for dehydrocoupling of dimethylamine-borane (DMAB). It was found that Ru-Ni nanomaterials are one of the most active catalysts at low concentrations and temperature for dehydrocoupling of DMAB. This catalyst with its turnover frequency of 458.57 h-1 exhibits one of the best results among all the catalysts prepared in the literature for dehydrocoupling of DMAB. Significantly low Ea value (36.52 ± 3 kJ mol-1) was also found for dehydrocoupling of DMAB.