Thermally stable Pd/reduced graphene oxide aerogel catalysts for solvent-free oxidation of benzyl alcohol

Abstract

In this work, Pd/reduced graphene oxide (Pd/RGO) aerogels, with large surface areas and wrinkles, are obtained through the lyophilisation, vacuum and reduction treatments. Pd/RGO aerogels exhibit higher catalytic performances and thermal stability in comparison to the reference catalyst Pd/activated carbon (Pd/AC) in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The surface analyses indicate that Pd/RGO aerogels possess a higher proportion of Pd2+ than the Pd/AC catalyst. Meanwhile, the oxygen-containing functional groups can modulate the interaction between palladium and the support to form active phases for the reaction. Moreover, Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) remain well dispersed in nanoscale on the reacted Pd/RGO aerogels.