Synthetically Tuned Composition in PdCu Bimetallic Nanoparticles with Effective Catalytic Properties for Nitrobenzene Reduction

In this paper, we have synthesized a series of PdCu bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) catalysts using the noble-metal-induced reduction process and investigated in detail by HRTEM, EDS mapping, XRD, and ICP-AES. More importantly, we also found that PdCu bimetallic NPs catalysts showed a compositional influence in the reaction of nitrobenzene reduction. When the palladium molar percentage of the PdCu NPs catalysts increases to more than 0.66, the main product is azoxybenzene. While the palladium molar percentage of the PdCu NPs catalysts dropped below 0.41, the main product is aniline. From the experimental results, the different catalytic results for nitrobenzene reduction could be attributed to the changes in the electronic structural and surface composition of the PdCu bimetallic NPs.