Straightforward synthesis of bimetallic Fe/Pt nanoparticles in ionic liquid: synthesis, characterization and application as hydrogenation nanocatalyst

Full text: The possibility of tailoring the electronic and geometric structures of bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) by the addition of a second metal is one of the most important approaches to obtaining more efficient catalysts.[1] To date, the controlled synthesis of unsupported surface 'clean' bimetallic Fe/Pt metal catalysts still remains a challenge. In this respect, ionic liquids (ILs) have proven to be an adequate media for generation of surface 'clean' metal NPs. [2] Here, we reported the straightforward synthesis of small (ca. 2-3 nm) unsupported bimetallic Fe/Pt nanoparticles (NPs) by the simple reaction of [iron(0) pentacarbonyl] and [tris(dibenzilydeneacetone)bisplatinum(0)] complexes in 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ILs at 120°C under hydrogen (30 bar) for 18h. These bimetallic NPs were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM and S-TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR) and SQUID magnetization analyses. Furthermore, these isolated bimetallic NPs were evaluated as effective hydrogenation nanocatalyst. (author)