Dispersion and electrocatalytic performance of platinum nanoparticles supported on ordered mesoporous carbon

Highly ordered mesoporous carbon, denoted as CMK-5, was synthesized by using mesoporous silicates SBA-15 as template and furfuryl alcohol as carbon precursor. Carbon supported platinum nanoparticles were prepared by a microwave-irradiated polyol process. In order to improve the dispersity of Pt nanoparticles, cationic surfactant (CTAB) as stabilizer was added to the microwave heating process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the dispersity of Pt nanoparticles was improved and the particle size of the catalyst was decreased to 2.9 nm with addition of cationic surfactant (CTAB). Cyclic voltammograms showed that the CTAB-stabilized Pt/CMK-5 catalyst exhibited a higher catalytic activity than the catalyst without CTAB or the commercial JM Pt/C catalyst.