Direct synthesis of palladium-containing mesoporous carbon

Palladium-containing mesoporous carbon materials with high surface area, large pore volume and narrow pore size distribution have been synthesized by a simple one-step sol-gel technique followed by a carbonization and template removal processes. These materials contain uniformed pores with 2.2 nm average pore diameter and surface areas larger than 1500 m(2)/g. The palladium content of these materials can be precisely controlled during the sol-gel process. Compared with the commercially available activated carbon supported palladium catalysts, these materials exhibit improved catalytic activities for Heck reaction of iodobenzene and styrene. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.