Synthesis And Pyrolysis Of Fullerenol-Stabilized Pt Nanocolloids As A Unique Approach To Pt-Doped Carbon

An aqueous colloidal dispersion of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by fullerenol C-60(OH)(12) (Pt:C-60(OH)(12)) was successfully synthesized via liquid-phase chemical reduction. The subsequent pyrolysis of Pt:C-60(OH)(12) at different temperatures was conducted to afford Pt-doped carbon with different chemical compositions (Pt:C60(n)). X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy and thermogravimetric measurements revealed that the thus-prepared nanocomposite consists of Pt NPs and high valent Pt-C-60(OH)(12) complex. One distinct feature of C-60(OH)(12) matrix as catalyst support is the suppression of size growth of Pt NPs during the pyrolysis up to 300 degrees C. Electrochemical experiments using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) were performed to find that Pt:C60(300) (pyrolyzed at 300 degrees C) exhibited higher activity than others, that was attributed to the pi-extended feature of the as-obtained carbon.