Microwave Synthesis and Characterization of Size-controlled Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Supports

Carbon supported platinum nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave assisted heating ethylene glycol solution of H2PtCl6 with different pH values in the presence of XC-72 carbon or carbon nanotubes supports. The products were characterized by EDX, TEM and XRD. The effects of pH values of ethylene glycol solutions on the sizes and uniformity of Pt nanoparticles and their dispersion on carbon supports surfaces were investigated. TEM images show that the average diameter of platinum nanoparticles decreases from 5.5nm to 2.7nm with the increase of pH values from 3.4 to 9.5 for Pt/XC-72, and the average diameter from 5.3nm to 2.8nm with the increase of pH values from 3.5 to 9.4 for Pt/CNTs. In addition, increasing pH values of ethylene glycol solution can improve the size uniformity and dispersity of platinum nanoparticles on carbon surfaces.