Electrodeposited palladium on MWCNTs as ‘semi-soluble heterogeneous’ catalyst for cross-coupling reactions

•Nano-sized Pd catalyst was electro-synthesized on MWCNTs from aqueous media.•We recognized Pt-carbon electronic interaction by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.•Pd-MWCNTs showed superior catalytic activity toward Suzuki–Miyaura and Sonogashira reactions.•The Pd-MWCNTs can be recovered and re-used.