Pd nanoparticles supported on porous N-doped carbon derived from ZIF-8: a facile and efficient catalyst for reduction of nitrophenols

We report a facile strategy to prepare the Pd nanoparticles loaded on porous N-doped carbon by direct carbonization of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) at 1000oC. ZIF-8 not only serves as a precursor for N-doped carbon but also provides a framework to confine Pd nanoparticles with small size. The resulting Pd/ZIF-8(1000) has a regular morphology and excellent catalytic activity towards the reduction of nitrophenols (2-NP, 3-NP, and 4-NP) at room temperature with NaBH4 as a reductant in aqueous solution. The enhanced performance is mainly due to N-doping, uniform dispersion and average size (2.3 nm) of Pd nanoparticles, large surface area, and synergistic effect between the metals (Pd NPs) and the support. Moreover, Pd/ZIF-8 (1000) remains the activity even after the 10th recycle experiment, indicating the catalyst has good stability. Importantly, ZIF-8(1000) can be applied as a framework to support highly uniform and stable noble metals with small size.