Role of polyvinylpyrrolidone in the polyol synthesis of platinum nanoparticles

In this work, platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared via the reduction of Pt salts in an ethylene glycol induced polyol process with an altered polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/Pt molar ratio. With the systematic elucidation of the hydrodynamic size in a liquid; the solid-state size and morphology, crystal structure, surface chemical state and thermal decomposition behavior of the synthesized Pt NPs; as well as the reducing dynamic of Pt cations, the role of PVP in the polyol synthesis of Pt NPs is clarified for the first time. It was found that the amount of PVP does not affect the reducing dynamic of Pt cations, but the chemical state of PVP capped on Pt NPs and the resultant particle size significantly depend on the initial PVP/Pt molar ratio in the precursor solution. Dense-packed PVP via the chemisorption of carbonyl oxygen on the surface of Pt NPs occurs in the case of a higher PVP/Pt ratio, suppressing particle growth and resulting in smaller Pt NPs. On the contrary, the chemical structure of PVP is tuned by the cleavage of the N-C bond and results in the chemisorption of the N atom on the surface of Pt NPs, which promotes the production of larger Pt NPs when a lower PVP/Pt ratio is applied.