Abstract

Polycarbonate (PC)-ZnO NPs composites have been successfully fabricated by solution casting technique in which ZnO NPs (45nm) were prepared via wet chemical method and used as dopant with different concentrations. These nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, optical micrographs, UV/VIS and FT-IR spectrum. ZnO NPs were uniformly distributed within the PC and create a new recyclable (10 times) catalytic system for the synthesis of α , β-unsaturated compounds and aldimines. Catalytic activity of the nanocomposites increased with ZnO NPs (5%) in PC matrix while at higher loading (9%) slight agglomeration of nanoparticles occurred, which hindered the catalytic effect of nanocomposite.

Keywords: Aldimines, ethyl lactate, heterogeneous catalyst, polycarbonate (PC)-ZnO NPs composites, α , β-unsaturated compounds.

Graphical Abstract