Monodisperse palladium nanoparticles supported on chemically derived graphene: highly active and reusable nanocatalysts for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions

Addressed herein is the catalysis of monodisperse palladium nanoparticles (NPs) supported on chemically derived graphene (CDG) for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of phenylboronic acid and various aryl halides. Monodisperse Pd NPs were synthesized by the solution phase reduction of palladium(II) acetylacetonate with morpholine borane complex in oleylamine and deposited on CDG via the liquid phase self-assembly method. Colloidal Pd NPs and CDG-Pd catalyst were characterized by TEM, XRD, SEM, and ICP-MS analyses. The CDG-Pd catalyst showed high activity in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings of different aryl halides including iodides, bromides, and even chlorides with phenylboronic acid under mild conditions. More importantly, the reusability experiments revealed that CDG-Pd catalyst was highly durable by almost maintaining its inherent activity after the 15th catalytic cycle.