LAUSR

Abstract Coenzyme A (CoA), as a cofactor of enzymes in bacteria, is involved in various reactions of intermediary metabolism owing to its thiol groups. Herein we develop a facile CoA-assisted approach for the green synthesis of nonspherical Pd nanoparticles (NPs) with grain boundaries, which potentially serve as the catalytic hot spots. As-prepared CoA-Pd nanocomposites were applied for the catalytic reduction of highly toxic chromium (VI) by using formic acid (FA) as the reductant with the highest reduction rate of 2.45 mmol mg−1 min−1 (50 °C), which is superior to recently reported homogenous and heterogeneous Pd-based catalysts. Through the characterizations by UV–vis, FTIR, TEM, XRD and XPS in combination with DFT calculations, CoA plays an essential role in regulating the growth of Pd NPs, resulting in the formation of nonspherical morphology at high [Na2PdCl4]/[CoA]. The catalytic activity of CoA-Pd was also assessed for the hydrogenation reduction of p-nitrophenol and the degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in the presence of formic acid. This strategy expands eco-friendly synthetic techniques to design highly efficient nanocatalysts to meet the requirement of catalytic reduction of Cr(VI) and other types of FA-mediated hydrogenation reactions.