Potential-assisted assembly of functionalised platinum nanoparticles on electrode surfaces

A method for assembling Pt nanoparticles (5 nm diameter) on indium tin oxide (ITO) and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) electrodes, via the potential-assisted deposition of pre-formed perthiolated-β-cyclodextrin-capped Pt nanoparticles is described. Cyclic voltammetry allowed control over the surface coverage of monodisperse Pt nanoparticles in a simple fashion, as evidenced by the voltammetric response and atomic force microscopy of the resulting electrode surface. The Pt nanoparticle arrays formed in this way were electrocatalytically active towards proton reduction-hydrogen evolution. The methodology described thus opens up a new approach for the deposition of metal nanoparticles with controlled surface density for the investigation of electrocatalytic processes.