In-situ fabrication of ultrafine Pd supported on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide via nitrogen glow discharge plasma for catalytic reduction of 4-Nitrophenol

The ultrafine Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) supported on N-doped partially reduced graphene oxide (Pd/PNGO) were in-situ synthesized by nitrogen glow discharge plasma using a one-step method without any protective agents and chemical reducing agents. The N-doping and reduction of graphene oxide occurred simultaneously as the reduction of Pd2+. The as-prepared Pd/PNGO was characterized by XRD, TEM, FT-IR, Raman spectra and XPS analysis. The particle size of PdNPs distributes in the range of 1.03-3.46 nm with average size of 2.51 nm. The ultrafine PdNPs are highly dispersed on PNGO with less agglomeration due to the in-situ reduction. The interaction between PdNPs and N/O functional groups on N-doped partially reduced graphene oxide (PNGO) plays a crucial role on particle size and dispersion. The catalyst performed excellent catalytic property for reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) at room temperature. The turnover frequency (TOF) is 366.9 h(-1), which is 35 times than that of commercial Pd/C catalyst.