Harnessing palladium-decorated g-C3N4 nanosheets for selective catalytic benzyl alcohol synthesis

• Pd-loaded NS-CN has been prepared by chemical impregnation approach. • Among different loadings, ∼2 wt.- % Pd loading shows efficient catalytic activity. • Selectivity of optimized catalyst of ∼99% towards production of benzyl alcohol by hydrogenation of benzaldehyde. • Exhaustive evaluation under diverse factors aimed at optimizing catalytic performance to enhance the yield of benzyl alcohol. The selective reduction of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol (a pivotal model reaction for the low-temperature stabilization of bio-oil) was meticulously investigated. This study delved into the catalytic prowess of Pd-modified g -C 3 N 4 nanosheets (Pd x CN) within a liquid-phase environment, utilizing H 2 as the reducing agent under benign conditions. A series of photocatalysts were synthesized by impregnating graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (NS-CN) with varying weight percent loadings of Pd nanoparticles. In the context of this selective hydrogenation, the catalytic activity of Pd 2 CN catalysts outshone that of pure NS-CN and other reference catalysts, exhibiting remarkable efficacy with benzyl alcohol yields nearing perfection at approximately 99%. Moreover, these catalysts demonstrated enduring catalytic reusability and reproducibility. The optimization of experimental parameters, encompassing weight percent loading of co-catalyst, catalyst quantity, temperature, and reaction duration, was systematically undertaken to achieve optimal benzyl alcohol yield.