| Abstract: | An amino‐functionalized silica‐coated Fe3O4 nanocomposite (Fe3O4@SiO2/APTS) was synthesized. The Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres possessed a well‐defined core–shell structure, uniform sizes and high magnetization. An immobilized ruthenium nanoparticle catalyst (Fe3O4@SiO2/APTS/Ru) was obtained after coordination and reduction of Ru3+ on the Fe3O4@SiO2/APTS nanocomposite. The Ru nanoparticles were not only ultra‐small with nearly monodisperse sizes but also had strong affinity with the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2/APTS. The obtained catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of a variety of aromatic nitro compounds, even at room temperature. Moreover, Fe3O4@SiO2/APTS/Ru was easily recovered using a magnetic field and directly reused for at least five cycles without significant loss of its activity. |
