Copper Nanoparticles in Polyvinyl Alcohol–Acrylic Acid Matrix: An Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Regioselective Synthesis of 1,4-Disubstituted 1,2,3-Triazoles via Click Reaction

Copper nanoparticles (Cu(I) NPs) were immobilized in polyvinyl alcohol-grafted-acrylic acid (PVA-g-AA) matrix. This polymeric matrix was obtained via grafting of AA onto PVA chain by initiating system involving MEK-peroxide during sonication process. The Cu(I) NPs, in PVA–AA matrix was fully characterized by FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, ICP–OES, UV–Vis and TGA techniques. Then, this new synthesized and well-characterized copper nanocatalyst was examined as a catalyst and found being highly efficient and recyclable in the regioselective synthesis of 1,4-disubstitued 1,2,3-triazoles via click reaction. Moreover, a quantitative description for metal–ligand interactions in PVA-g-AA supported copper catalyst was presented via quantum chemistry calculations.