Au–Pd nanoparticles on layered double hydroxide: Highly active catalyst for aerobic oxidation of alcohols in aqueous phase

Au–Pd bimetal catalysts supported on layered double hydroxide (LDH) have been prepared and structurally characterized using XRD, TEM and XPS. The Au and Pd nanoparticles with an average of 3.4 ± 0.2 nm were highly dispersed on LDH. There was a strong electronic interaction between Au and Pd nanoparticles. The bimetallic catalyst afforded much higher catalytic performance than the corresponding monometallic catalyst for the alcohol oxidation in water. Especially, non-activated aliphatic primary alcohols can be oxidized into the corresponding acids nearly quantitatively over the bimetallic catalyst. The catalyst can be reused several times without obvious loss of its activity and selectivity.

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► LDH supported Au–Pd bimetal catalyst has been developed.
► The bimetal catalyst exhibits higher activity than the monometallic catalyst.
► The alcohol oxidation can be performed efficiently in aqueous phase.
► There is a strong electronic interaction between the two metals.