Direct synthesis of palladium-containing mesoporous carbon

Palladium-containing mesoporous carbon materials with high surface area, large pore volume and narrow pore size distribution have been synthesized by a simple one-step sol-gel technique followed by a carbonization and template removal processes. These materials contain uniformed pores with 2.2 nm average pore diameter and surface areas larger than 1500 m2/g. The palladium content of these materials can be precisely controlled during the sol-gel process. Compared with the commercially available activated carbon supported palladium catalysts, these materials exhibit improved catalytic activities for Heck reaction of iodobenzene and styrene.