M. Mahin, N. Ahamad, H. Fairbrother
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST),
Bangladesh
Keywords: graphene oxide (GO), sulfonated graphene oxide (S-GO), Pt NPs, FT-IR, XPS, TEM
Summary:
In this research, we explored different parameters for depositing platinum nanoparticles on sulfonated graphene oxide (S-GO). Platinum nanoparticles (NPs) were formed in situ by reduction of a platinum precursor with sodium borohydride in presence of a S-GO matrix. Prior to the deposition, GO was functionalized with sulphonic acid groups using a method developed in Professor Howard Fairbrother's research laboratory to improve the colloidal stability of GO in aqueous medium. The deposition process was optimized by varying the ratio of platinum precursor to S-GO (mass). The deposition was found to rely on the ratio of platinum cations to NaBH4 (mole) as well as the reaction temperature and time. Chemical changes in GO due to reduction were followed with Fourier-transform Infrared Spectra (FT-IR) while elemental analysis was carried out by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic technique (XPS), and size and shape of the platinum NPs was confirmed by analyzing Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) image.