Morphology-controlled synthesis and electrocatalytic characteristics of platinum structures on micro-patterned carbon nanotube platforms

In this study, platinum particles were fabricated on flexible, transparent, single-walled carbon nanotube films without the addition of reducing or protecting agents using a facile and controllable electrochemical method. Spherical platinum particles (SPPs) were transformed into flower-like platinum particles (FPPs) by varying the applied potential, the pattern size of the photoresist polymer, and the deposition time. An analysis of the X-ray diffraction data revealed that the FPPs possessed a face centered cubic structure. The intensity ratio of (111) to (200) diffraction lines for the FPPs (2.15) was greater than that of the SPPs (1.44), indicating that the as-prepared FPPs were dominated by the lowest-energy (111) facets. The electrocatalytic activities of the synthesized particles with regard to methanol and formic acid oxidation were investigated. The FPPs exhibited higher catalytic performance for the electrochemical oxidation of methanol and formic acid than the SPPs. The high oxidation current of the FPP-based electrode was directly related to the morphologies of the platinum particles. The simple approach employed in this study will be useful for fabricating particles of other noble metals with different morphologies.