To fabricate -SiO2/PDA-SO3H nanocatalyst, a suitable method is designed for the loading of sulfonic acid groups on the surface of polydopamine (PDA)-encapsulated -SiO2 nanoparticles. To bridge the gap between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, surface functionalization of silica gel is an elegant procedure. The morphology, structure, and physicochemical features were specified using different analytical techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and back titration. The -SiO2/PDA-SO3H nanoparticles are efficient nanocatalysts for the acetylation of many alcohols, phenols, and amines with acetic anhydride under solvent-free conditions in good to excellent yields. Moreover, the reuse and recovery of the catalyst was shown seven times without detectible loss in activity. [GRAPHICS] .