Microemulsion-templated synthesis of carbon nanotube-supported pd and rh nanoparticles for catalytic applications.

Palladium, rhodium, and bimetallic Pd/Rh nanoparticles synthesized in a water-in-hexane microemulsion can be deposited directly on surfaces of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes with high yields. The CNT-supported Pd nanoparticles are active catalysts for hydrogenation of olefins, for carbon-carbon bond formation, and for carbon-oxygen bond cleavage reactions. The CNT-supported Rh nanoparticles are active catalysts for hydrogenation of arenes, and the CNT-supported bimetallic Pd/Rh nanoparticles show an unusually high catalytic activity for hydrogenation of anthracene. This simple and novel synthetic technique for making CNT-supported monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles may have a wide range of catalytic applications for chemical syntheses.