Microwave assisted carbon supported Pt nanoparticles (NPs/C) synthesis. Physical and electrochemical characterization.

ARMENDÁRIZ, V. R.; FERNÁNDEZ P. S; TROIANI H. E.; CÂMARA G. A.; MARTINS M. E.

Campos de Jordão, San Pablo, Brasil

Congreso; XIX Simpósio Brasileiro de Eletroquímica e Eletroanalítica (SIBEE); 2013

Sociedade Brasileira de Eletroquímica e Eletroanalítica

Carbon supported Pt NPs were synthesized with the ethylene glycol method in presence of polyacrylate (PAA) and in a conventional microwave oven. The PAA/Pt ratio was varied to obtain three different catalysts, namely, (i) PAA/Pt=0, (ii) PAA/Pt=0.5 and (iii) PAA/Pt=5. Each catalyst was subjected to electrochemical cycling in order to clean the obtained NPs. The catalyst were electrochemically characterized studying their behavior in H2SO4 0.5M and also with the CO electro-oxidation reaction (COEOR). The ethylene glycol method in presence of PAA/Pt=5 is a very good option to obtain well dispersed Pt NPs over carbon Vulcan XC72®. Besides, this important quantity of surfactant allows obtaining cleaner NPs, which can be totally cleaned by using just a few voltammetric cycles. We consider that the PAA replaces the glycolate on the Pt surface, being the later an impurity difficult to remove. This fact leads several authors to state that NPs obtained with this method are very difficult to clean.