Shape-controlled palladium nanocubes embedded in a mesoporous silica shell were synthesized via successive colloidal and aerosol techniques, and tested in the catalytic hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene. Encapsulation using the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process preserves the high activity and selectivity of the nanocubes while inhibiting their agglomeration and shape modification. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.