The effect of cetyl-trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) concentration on synthesis of Pt particle size in the reverse micelle

Synthesis of carbon-supported Pt/C catalysts using a new preparation technique, a water-in-oil microemulsion or reverse micelle method, is reported. The influence of the cetyl-trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) concentration, as a surfactant, over the reverse micelles size and then over the Pt nanoparticle size was studied. The catalysts were characterized by electrochemical and surface techniques such as: Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, linear sweep voltammetry impedance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Surface and electrochemical characterizations showed that Pt nanoparticles on catalysts were synthesized since the reverse micelle method was used. The performance of the Pt/C catalysts was tested by the rotating disk electrode and 3-electrode techniques. A trend of catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was obtained: Pt/C(CTAB 0.11M) > Pt/C(CTAB 0.22M)> Pt/C(CTAB 0.055M) > Pt/C(CTAB 0.5M) > Pt/C(CTAB 0.022M), showing that Pt/C(CTAB 0.11M) catalyst had a best catalytic activity for ORR.

The effect of cetyl-trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) concentration on synthesis of Pt particle size in the reverse micelle Keywords:

Pt nanoparticle , Reverse micelle , Oxygen reduction reaction , Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide