rGO/PdO Nanocomposites as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Oxidative Disproportionation of Benzyl Alcohol

This study introduces an innovative approach for the synthesis of a heterogeneous composite catalyst, specifically the reduced graphene oxide/palladium oxide (rGO/PdO) nanocomposite, utilizing a chemical solution method. The synthesis entails the reduction of graphene oxide and palladium chloride (PdCl₂) in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), resulting in the effective immobilization of palladium oxide nanoparticles over the surface of functionalized reduced graphene oxide sheets. The rGO/PdO nanocomposite that comes out of this process has excellent catalytic properties. It is very effective, cheap, reusable, and good for the environment. The oxidative disproportionation of benzyl alcohol was used to test its catalytic performance, and the results were excellent. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were all used to characterize the synthesized materials fully. GC-MS was used to confirm the catalytic activity further. The results show that the rGO/PdO nanocomposite could be a suitable catalyst for green and long-lasting oxidation processes.