Enhancement of gold catalytic activity and stability by immobilization on the surface of graphene

•Direct immobilization of gold complexes onto the surface of graphene.•The hybrid material contains a regular distribution of well-defined active sites.•Immobilization of gold complexes shows faster reaction rates and higher catalyst stability.

The catalytic performance of gold complexes is evaluated at the molecular level and when supported onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Gold complexes of general formula [(NHC)AuX] catalyse the synthesis of indoles via intramolecular hydroamination reaction of alkynes. The catalytic properties of the molecular gold complexes are highly improved when supported onto graphene. Faster reaction rates and higher catalyst stability are observed for the immobilized gold complexes. The use of graphene as support of molecular complexes has a positive benefit in the catalytic gold properties in terms of activity and stability.

Graphical abstractGraphene as an ideal support for molecular catalysts: Gold complexes anchored on the surface of rGO show faster reaction rates and higher stability.Download high-res image (144KB)Download full-size image