Monodisperse 4.5 nm Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by solution phase reduction of palladium acetylacetonate with morpholine borane in a mixture of oleylamine and 1-octadecene. These NPs were assembled on graphene uniformly in the form of a monolayer, and showed much enhanced catalysis for electrooxidation of formic acid. The work demonstrates the great potential of graphene as a support to enhance NP catalysis and stability for important chemical oxidation reactions.

No abstract