Silanized Graphene Oxide-Supported Pd Nanoparticles and Silicone Rubber for Enhanced Hydrogen Elimination

Abstract

Hydrogen is a dangerous gas because it reacts very easily with oxygen to explode, and the accumulation of hydrogen in confined spaces is a safety hazard. Composites consisting of polymers and catalysts are a common getter, where the commonly used catalyst is usually commercial Pd/C. However, it often shows poor compatibility with polymers, making it difficult to form a homogeneous and stable composite. In this work, palladium chloride (PdCl2) was converted to palladium (Pd) nanoparticles by reduction reaction and supported on graphene oxide (GO) modified by silanization. Spherical Pd nanoparticles with a size of 2–36 nm were uniformly distributed over the Silanized graphene oxide (SGO) matrix. When mixed with Pd/SGO, polymethylvinylsiloxane can be cured to silicone rubber (SR) by B2O3. Afterwards, the vinyl in the polymer can interact with hydrogen under the catalysis of Pd through the addition reaction, thus achieving the purpose of hydrogen elimination. The polymer elastomers with excellent self-healing properties and improved hydrogen elimination performance were prepared and were superior to the commercial Pd/C. In addition, excellent environmental adaptability was also demonstrated. The new getter SR-Pd/SGO provides a new avenue for developing polymer getters with superior properties.