Reduced graphene oxide supported nickel-palladium alloy nanoparticles as a superior catalyst for the hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes under ambient conditions

Addressed herein is the superior catalytic performance of reduced graphene oxide supported Ni30Pd70 alloy nanoparticles (rGO-Ni30Pd70) for the direct hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes to alkanes, which surpasses the commercial Pd/C catalyst both in activity and stability. A variety of cyclic or aromatic alkenes and alkynes (a total of 17 examples) were rapidly reduced to the corresponding alkanes with high yields (>99%) via the presented direct hydrogenation protocol under ambient conditions. Compared to the commercially available Pd/C (10 wt%) catalyst, the rGO-Ni30Pd70 catalyst provided higher yields in shorter reaction times under the optimized conditions. Moreover, the rGO-Ni30Pd70 catalysts were more stable and durable than the commercial Pd/C catalysts by preserving their initial activity after five consecutive runs in the hydrogenation reactions.