Fine tuning of the sheet distance of graphene oxide that affects the activity and substrate selectivity of a Pd/graphene oxide catalyst in the Heck reaction

The interlayer distance of graphene oxide (GO) in a Pd/GO composite could be tuned using cationic surfactants. The distance becomes larger when a large surfactant is used. The catalytic activity in Heck reactions dramatically improved using the surfactant-modified Pd/GO catalyst. Substrate selectivity could also be improved by adjusting the size of the surfactant to increase accessibility of substrates to the active catalytic centre. The interlayer distance of graphene oxide (GO) in a Pd/GO composite could be tuned using cationic surfactants.