Ultrastable Pt nanoparticles supported on sulfur-containing ordered mesoporous carbon via strong metal-support interaction

Sulfur-containing ordered mesoporous carbon (S-OMC) material was successfully obtained from a mesoporous silica template through a nano-replication method using p-toluenesulfonic acid as the framework source. The S-OMC material thus obtained could be utilized as an excellent support for Pt nanoparticles of size 3.14 nm, even though the Pt loading was 60 wt%. The Pt nanoparticles supported on the S-OMC material (Pt/S-OMC) exhibited excellent thermal stability compared with those supported on sulfur-free ordered mesoporous carbon and Vulcan carbon. XPS analysis indicated that the strong metal-support interaction between the sulfur atoms in the S-OMC support and the surface atoms of the loaded Pt nanoparticles played an important role in stabilization of the Pt nanoparticles against the Ostwald ripening process during the thermal treatments. Cyclic voltammogram results revealed that the Pt/S-OMC material exhibited reasonably high electrochemically active Pt surface areas before and after thermal treatments at 600 degrees C, indicating that the surface of Pt nanoparticles was not poisoned by the sulfur atoms of the S-OMC support.