Control of Morphology of Pt Nanoparticles and Pt-Pd Core-Shell Nanoparticles

In this paper, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) protected Pt and Pt–Pd nanoparticles were synthesized by the reductions of H2PtCl6 and Na2PdCl4 in ethylene glycol (EG) using AgNO3 as a structure–controlling agent. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution (HR)TEM were employed to study the morphology and size of Pt and Pt–Pd nanoparticles. The results showed that the size and morphology of Pt nanoparticle was precisely controlled by addition of AgNO3. Accordingly, only under the selection of the appropriate chemicals and experimental conditions, Pt–Pd nanoparticles with their core–shell morphology were precisely controlled. (Received December 20, 2010; accepted February 7, 2011)