A nanohybrid of organoplatinum(II) complex and graphene oxide as catalyst for reduction of p-nitrophenol

Abstract

In this study, a organoplatinum(II) complex, [Pt(ppy)Cl(dmso)], dmso = dimethylsulfoxide and ppy = deprotonated 2-phenylpyridine, has been covalently immobilized on the graphene oxide (GO) surface through coordination interaction with 3-(aminomethyl)pyridine (3-ampy) ligand spacers (3-ampy-GO), which was synthesized through covalent bonds between NH2 functional groups of 3-ampy and the epoxy groups of GO. The synthesis of Pt(0)/3-ampy- reduced-graphene oxide (RGO) nanohybrid by the reduction of [Pt(ppy)Cl(3-ampy)]/GO nanohybrid with hydrazine in an aqueous solution was studied. Nanohybrids were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Catalytic activities of these nanohybrids were investigated in the p-nitrophenol reduction. On the basis of comparative kinetic studies, the following trend was obtained for the effect of the related nanohybrid catalyst on the rate of reaction: [Pt(ppy)Cl(3-ampy)]/GO > Pt(0)/3-ampy-RGO.