Highly dispersed Pd/AlPO-5 catalyst was prepared and tested in the hydrogenation of 2-ethylanthraquinone. Characterization results suggested that the abundant surface P-OH groups of AlPO-5 zeolite substituted NH3 ligands of [Pd(NH3)(4)](2+) precursor to form [Pd(NH3)(3)(POH)](2+). After calcination, the latter formed Pd-O-P interfacial linkage between Pd nanoparticles and AlPO-5, benefiting the suppression of Pd sintering. SiO2 and SiO2-AlPO-5 composite were used as supports for comparison. Catalyst supported on SiO2-AlPO-5 composite (25 wt% AlPO-5) exhibited improved catalytic activity and stability in consideration of reactant activation as well as the mass transfer of reactant molecules, which is expected to decrease precious metal loading in industrial application. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.