Facile obtaining of Iridium(0), Platinum(0) and Platinum(0)-Iridium(0) alloy nanoparticles and the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

The obtaining of Pt(0), Ir(0), and Pt(0)-Ir(0) nanoparticles (NPs) is accomplished using readily available metallic precursors through their reduction with NaBH4 in solid state. Byproducts are removed by water/acetone washes and the influence of a final heat treatment step whether using air or nitrogen is compared with untreated samples. Characterization by PXRD shows NPs with diameters >10 nm and satisfactory results for unheated samples. Further analysis by XPS, TEM, and catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol provides evidence to confirm the presence of zero-valent NPs and the formation of an alloy in the Pt(0)-Ir(0).