Pd/PdO, a versatile catalyst, has been grafted onto the pore surface of MCM-41 by reacting PdCl~2 solution with the as-synthesized mesostructured aluminosilicate. The products have been characterized by powder XRD, thermal analysis (TG/DTA), TEM, N~2 adsorption and FT- IR spectroscopies. It was found that palladium is loaded onto the aluminosilicate walls via Si-O-Pd bonds. A second phase consisting of Pd/PdO crystallites ranged from 10 to 30nm in diameter on the external surface of the mesoporous aluminosilicate materials was obtained. It is concluded that clogging of channels with Pd/PdO is avoided by introducing the reagent when surfactant is still present in the mesopores.

Key words: PALLADIUM, PALLADIUM OXIDE, ALUMINUM SILICATE, X-RAY DIFFRACTION ANALYSIS, THERMOGRAVIMETRY, SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPES