We
demonstrate the deposition of crystalline palladium nanoparticles
on graphene nanoplatelets (Pd/graphene) via atmospheric pressure atomic
layer deposition (ALD) carried out in a fluidized bed reactor. The
nucleation and growth of Pd nanoparticles on the inert graphene surface
was enabled by applying an ozone pretreatment step, without significantly
affecting the graphene crystalline structure. Uniform nucleation on
both basal planes and edges of the graphene was obtained. The Pd loading
and dispersion as well as the average particle size could be controlled
by varying the number of ALD cycles. By analyzing the evolution of
the particle size distribution and spatial density, we obtained insights
into the nucleation and growth of Pd ALD on graphene. Furthermore,
by shortening the pretreatment time, selective growth of Pd nanoparticles
on the edges of the graphene was achieved. The Pd/graphene fabricated
with our method showed a significantly lower level of impurities compared
to the Pd/graphene synthesized by wet chemistry routes. Our approach
provides a 100% solvent-free, controllable and scalable process for
producing the bulk quantities of Pd/graphene required for practical
applications in, for example, catalysis.
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