High-throughput synthesis of size-controlled Pt-based catalysts

Abstract

Pt catalysts are commonly used for chemical reaction processes due to its high catalytic activity and selectivity. Notably, the size of metal particles often has a significant impact on the performance of the metal-loaded catalysts. Therefore, developing highly efficiently synthesis method for the size control of Pt catalysts has great development prospects and research value. In this study, high-throughput size tuning of Pt-based catalysts was achieved by carbonizing the carriers. The experimental and characterization results showed that the size of the loaded Pt nanoparticles varied with different concentrations of glucose solution during carriers carbonization process. The reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a template reaction indicated that the reaction rate constant of the catalyst is approximately linear with the size of Pt particles. Importantly, a laboratory-built high-throughput synthesis system was applied for the catalyst synthesis, which enhances the automation of the laboratory exploratory experiments and makes it possible to synthesize catalysts with controllable size in batches.