Electrochemical Synthesis of Pt Nanoparticles Inside of PAMAM Dendrimers for Oxygen Reduction

Abstract

Platinum nanoparticles inside of hydroxyl-terminated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer molecules were prepared by electrochemical reduction in the dendrimer-Pt(II) complexes previously anchored on glassy-carbon electrodes and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques. The synthetic route resulted in the formation of a robust electrochemically active film, which additionally avoided the presence of residual salts that could diminish the electrocatalyst performance. Electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction in with average diameters of ca. was evaluated using a rotating disk electrode configuration in acidic media in the absence and the presence of methanol. The results were compared with the performance of dendrimer-encapsulated Pt particles prepared by the conventional method that involved a chemical reduction in metallic ions .