Fabrication of highly dispersed palladium/graphene oxide nanocomposites and their catalytic properties for efficient hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol and hydrogen generation

In this report, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets decorated with ultrafine Pd nanoparticles (Pd NPs) have been successfully fabricated through a reaction between [Pd2(μ-CO)2Cl4]2− and water in the presence of GO nanosheets without any surfactant or other reductant. The as-synthesized small Pd NPs with average diameter of about 4.4 nm were well-dispersed on the surface of GO nanosheets. The Pd/GO nanocomposites show remarkable catalytic activity toward the hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol at room temperature. The kinetic apparent rate constant (kapp) could reach about 34.3 × 10−3 s−1. Furthermore, the as-prepared Pd/GO nanocomposites could also be used as an efficient and stable catalyst for hydrogen production from hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB). The catalytic activity is much higher than the conventional Pd/C catalysts.