In Situ Growth of Clean Pd Nanoparticles on Polystyrene Microspheres Assisted by Functional Reduced Graphene Oxide and Their Excellent Catalytic Properties

Herein an in situ growth of clean palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) on functional reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-coated polystyrene (PS) microspheres is achieved by a simple two-step process. On the basis of the hydrophobic interaction and π-electron interaction, the PS/RGO composite particles are first prepared by the reduction of graphene oxide in the presence of PS microspheres. Second, without using any additional reducing agent or stabilizer, the clean Pd NPs grow in situ on the surface of PS/RGO composite particles in water through a spontaneous redox reaction between Pd2+ and RGO. Significantly, owing to the stabilizer-free surface of Pd NPs and the synergistic effect of RGO and Pd NPs, the resultant PS/RGO@Pd composite particles feature pronounced catalytic activity toward the reduction of p-nitrophenol and Suzuki coupling reactions. Moreover, the catalyst particles can be easily recovered by centrifugation because of the large size of support microspheres and recycled consecutively.