Solvent Effects on Preparation of Pd-Based Catalysts: Influence on Properties of Palladium and Its Catalytic Activity for Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation

Abstract

Solvent effects are important for the solution preparation of nanoscale metal materials, in which the sizes and properties of the nanomaterials are greatly influenced by the solvents. In this study, a series of Pd/XC-72 catalysts were synthesized by a facile solvothermal method in solvents with different numbers of hydroxyl groups, including ethanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerine. The as-prepared catalysts Pd/XC-72(EA), Pd/XC-72(EG) and Pd/XC-72(GI) were characterized by XRD, TEM, TGA, ICP-MS and multipoint nitrogen adsorption-desorption experiments. It was found that Pd/XC-72(GI) had the highest metallic dispersion and the smallest particle size (4.9 nm). Furthermore, Pd/XC-72(GI) exhibited the best catalytic performance for solvent-free selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol while the catalytic activities of Pd/XC-72 catalysts decreased in the order: Pd/XC-72(GI) > Pd/XC-72(EG) > Pd/XC-72(EA).