Fabrication of Ultrafine Palladium Phosphide Nanoparticles as Highly Active Catalyst for Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Alkynes

Monodisperse palladium phosphide nanoparticles (Pd-P NPs) with a smallest size ever reported of 3.9 nm were fabricated using cheap and stable triphenylphosphine as phosphorous source. After the deposition and calcination at 300 °C and 400 °C, the resulting Pd-P NPs increased in size to 4.0 nm and 4.8 nm, respectively. Notably, the latter NPs probably crystallized with a single phase of Pd3 P0.95, which acted as a highly active catalyst in semi- and stereoselective hydrogenation of alkynes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis determined a positive shift of binding energy for Pd(3d) in Pd-P NPs compared to that in Pd on carbon. It indicated the electron flow from metal to phosphorus and the larger electron deficiency of Pd in Pd-P NPs, which suppressed palladium hydride formation and subsequently increased the selectivity. Thus, this result may also indicate the applications of Pd-P and other metal-P NPs in various selective hydrogenation reactions.