Co-modified nickel ferrite magnetic nanomaterials: a green, cost-effective, and functional catalytic platform for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions

Combining magnetic and semiconducting features, metal-doped magnetic ferrites are a technologically relevant family of ceramic materials that are extremely adaptable for a variety of applications. Herein, we report a hydrothermal approach for the development of Co-modified NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles as an efficient, palladium-free heterogeneous catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling (SMC) reactions. The synthesized Co-modified nickel ferrite nanocrystals (7.45 nm) were characterized by FESEM, EDX, HRTEM, SAED, PXRD, IR, VSM, Raman and BET analyses, revealing a mesoporous nature with a specific surface area of 74.752 m² g⁻¹. The catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity under mild and sustainable conditions for the formation of biaryl motifs via SMC reactions of arylboronic acids and other arylhalides including chemically inert chloroarylhalides. Structural tuning enhanced the surface area and active sites, while magnetic properties enabled easy recovery and reusability over six cycles without any significant loss of its catalytic activity. The absence of noble metals reflects its economic and environmental advantages. This study presents a green, recyclable, and scalable catalysis process, demonstrating the potential of Co-modified NiFe₂O₄ as a practical alternative in modern organic synthesis. The developed protocol exhibited a significantly higher reaction mass efficiency in comparison with other reported protocols, indicating its superior material utilization and sustainability.