Binary-surfactant (Brij 35 + Tween 20) assisted preparation of highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles on carbon

Abstract

Pt nanoparticles supported on Vulcan XC-72R, synthesized by a surfactant-stabilized colloidal method, exhibited excellent properties as anode catalyst for low-temperature fuel cell. The Pt/C catalyst prepared with binary-surfactant (Brij 35 + Tween 20) at 10 times CMC had an average particle size of 2.8 nm with quite a narrow distribution between 2 and 4 nm. Our preparation method resulted in complete reduction of Pt and full loading of Pt nanoparticles on the carbon. The home-made Pt/ C catalyst showed higher EAS and better catalytic activity than a commercial Pt/C catalyst. The method used in this study provided an easy and reproducible procedure for the preparation of Pt nanoparticles supported on carbon.