A highly efficient Pd/graphene oxide catalyst with abundant oxygen groups for the hydrogenation of olefins

A Pd/graphene oxide (Pd/GO) catalyst retaining abundant oxygen-containing groups was prepared by a facile and green method, and its physiochemical properties were characterized by inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Highly uniform Pd nanoparticles on GO sheets were found, along with well dispersion of the Pd/GO catalyst in ethanol. In the hydrogenation of olefins, Pd/GO exhibited much higher catalytic activities than those of the commercial Pd/C, and the counterpart Pd-supported on carbon nanotube and chemically reduced GO catalysts. An ultrahigh reaction rate of 45,447 mol (h mol(Pd))(-1) was obtained in the hydrogenation of styrene. The superior activity of the Pd/GO catalyst was largely attributed to the promoting effects of the abundant oxygen-containing groups on the sheets of GO.