More than just a support: Graphene as a solid-state ligand for palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions

•Pd clusters on reduced graphene show large turnover frequency for Suzuki reaction.•Graphene Support acts as charge donor/acceptor to lower barriers in reaction steps.•Catalyst is highly stable for recyclability and minimal sintering.•Theoretical studies provide insight into each step of reaction mechanism.•Good agreement found between experimental and theoretical investigations.