One-step synthesis of 3D reduced graphene oxide supported Pd catalyst with high activity and recovery in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene

Abstract

Three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (3D-RGO) supported Pd catalysts were prepared via one-step self-assembly in a mild water bath with ascorbic acid as reducing agent. The as-synthesized catalyst exhibited 3D architectures of graphene with abundant mesopores and uniform pore size of 3.9 nm. Relatively uniform Pd nanoparticles with 20–25 nm diameters were also obtained by the simple method. Under suitable synthesis conditions, 3D-RGO supported Pd catalyst showed a much high catalytic activity along with an excellent stability in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. Importantly, a perfect recovery rate of over 95% from liquid system was obtained.