Green and facile synthesis of Rh/GO nanocomposites for high catalytic performance

We report a facile and green route to prepare ligand-free ultrafine rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles decorated on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. The ultrafine Rh nanoparticles with average size 1.8 ± 0.4 nm were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquid. The Rh nanoparticles could be uniformly supported on the surface of GO through the electrostatic interaction. The reduction of 4-nitrophenol in presence of NaBH 4 was performed as a model reaction to evaluate the catalytic properties of Rh/GO nanocomposites. The Rh/GO nanocomposites showed remarkable high catalytic activities with rapid and complete conversion of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. The kinetic constant rate of the Rh/GO nanocomposites was 7.62 × 10 −3  s −1 , which is 27 times higher than commercial Rh/C catalyst, revealing the high catalytic activity in catalytic hydrogenation. The Rh/GO nanocomposites showed good stability and high catalytic activity due to the small size Rh nanoparticles, uniformly dispersed on GO nanosheets. This work may provide a green and alternative method to prepare ligand-free supported ultrafine noble metal heterogeneous catalysis.