Pd Nanoparticle Catalysts Supported on Nitrogen-Functionalized Activated Carbon for Oxyanion Hydrogenation and Water Purification

We provide an efficient, sustainable, low-cost, and potentially scalable method to prepare N-functionalized activated carbon (AC) for Pd-based catalysis with improved performance for water purification. N-functionalized AC supports were realized via "soft nitriding", that is, low temperature heating of a urea-AC mixture, and Pd nanoparticles with a significantly increased number of surface Pd(0) sites were achieved on the supports. Moreover, Pd nanoparticles were preferentially loaded near the (treated) AC exterior surface. N-functionalization improved nitrite and bromate hydrogenation kinetics but not for chlorite and chlorate, suggesting that different mechanisms determine the reaction activity of these oxyanions.