Electrocatalysis at palladium nanoparticles: Effect of the support nitrogen doping on the catalytic activation of carbonhalogen bond

tPd nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited electrochemically on three differently modified glassy carbon(GC) supports: pristine GC, nitrogen implanted GC and Ar implanted GC. The aim of such an approach isto discriminate whether the electrocatalytic activity of Pd NPs toward the activation of carbon halogenbond is preferentially driven by chemical or morphological defects. Modified GC electrodes were preparedby ion implantation whereas Pd was deposited according to a double-step potential deposition in a 1 mM PdSO4+ 0.1 M H2SO4solution.The electrodes were fully characterized by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, which allowed the iden-tification of several different N-based defects. Pd NPs morphology, dimension and distribution wereinvestigated by scanning electron microscopy. The outcomes indicate that the electrodeposition of PdNPs on nitrogen-implanted GC results in smaller catalyst particle sizes and higher particle dispersionwith respect to pristine GC. The palladium nitrogen-implanted electrode was tested in the electrochemical reduction of benzyl chloride, showing that Pd NPs result in a much higher catalytic activity than bulkPd and Pd NPs loaded on the pristine GC electrode.