Graphene oxide supported N-heterocyclic carbene-palladium as a novel catalyst for the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction

In this paper, an N-heterocyclic carbene–palladium complex (NHC-Pd2+) was immobilized onto the surface of graphene oxide via a chemical bonding method for the first time. The resultant graphene oxide supported NHC–Pd2+ composite (GO supported NHC-Pd2+) was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that the GO supported NHC-Pd2+ can act as an efficient catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions. The yields of the products were in the range of 83% to 96%. The catalyst can be readily recovered and reused for at least 6 consecutive cycles without any significant loss in catalytic activity.