Platinum nanoparticles (NP-Pt) are noble metal nanoparticles with unique physiochemical properties that have recently elicited much interest in medical research. However, we still know little about their toxicity and influence on general health. We investigated effects of NP-Pt on the growth and development of the chicken embryo model with emphasis on brain tissue micro- and ultrastructure. The...

15-Membered tri-olefinic azamacrocycles as end-groups of phosphorus-containing dendrimers from generation 1 to 4 are used for obtaining Pt nanoparticles in mild conditions; remarkable and unprecedented branched supramolecular assemblies composed of dendrimers and coalesced Pt nanoparticles are obtained, which become larger for higher dendrimer generations, affording for the first time a very un...

In this contribution, we report the successful preparation of supported metal catalysts using dendrimer-encapsulated Pt nanoparticles as metal precursors. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were first used to template and stabilize Pt nanoparticles prepared in solution. These dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticles were then deposited onto a commercial high surface area silica support and thermally...

A novel method has been developed for preparing supported cubic platinum nanoparticles. Carbon monoxide and hydrogen are used to reduce platinum precursors present at a solid-gas interface and to control the shape of the growing Pt nanoparticles. By avoiding the use of any organic agents in the synthesis, cubic Pt particles free of hydrocarbons are formed, thereby avoiding possible contaminatio...

Currently, Pt-M bimetallic alloy nanoparticles like PtMo, PtRu, PtW and PtNi have shown promise for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) applications, due to their high electrocatalytic activity and CO tolerance on pristine carbon supports. Meanwhile, our previous research has indicated that Pt nanoparticles are significantly stabilized on boron-doped carbon supports. In this work, we u...

The electrocatalytic properties for electro-oxidation reactions of shape-controlled Pt-based catalysts have been improved by alloying with 2nd elements. In this study, we demonstrate cubic PtPd alloy nanoparticles synthesized using a thermal decomposition method. The cubic PtPd nanoparticles exhibit a homogeneous distribution of alloy nanostructures in the presence of Pt and Pd metallic phases....

Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy is profitably exploited to study energy transfer mechanisms in Au and Pt/black TiO2 heterostructures. While Pt nanoparticles absorb light in the UV region, Au nanoparticles absorb light by surface plasmon resonance and interband transitions, both of them occurring in the visible region. The intra-bandgap states (oxygen vacancies) of black TiO2 play a key role in...

Mesoporous SBA-15 silica materials functionalized with and without carboxylic acid groups were used to effectively control the morphology of Pt crystals, and the materials thus obtained were applied to methanol oxidation reactions. The Pt particles aggregated to form long spheroids inside the channels in pure SBA-15. When carboxylic acid groups were utilized, the SBA-15(-COOH) material facilita...

The combinational modification of the morphology, alloying, and support for Pt catalysts has been optimized towards the oxygen reduction reaction. Graphene-supported PtPd nanorods have lower unfilled Pt d-states than carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles (Pt/C) and their specific and mass activities after the accelerated durability test are about 6.5 and 2.7 times higher than those of Pt/C, attribu...

Objectives • Further improve the new catalyst consisting of a submonolayer of Pt on carbon-supported Ru nanoparticles (1%Pt/10%Ru/C) to come close to the DOE’s 2010 target of 100 μg/cm2 noble metal loading. • Further elucidate the inhibition mechanism of CO on H2 oxidation on Pt. • Reduce Ru loadings in Pt-Ru electrocatalysts. • Explore monolayer-level-supported Pt electrocatalysts for O2 reduc...