Synthesis of platinum nanoparticles in montmorillonite and their catalytic behaviour

Intercalated montmorillonite catalysts with low loaded Pt nanoparticles have been prepared by surfactant assisted chemical reduction method combining the utility of the swellability and ion exchange capability of the clay mineral. All the synthesized catalysts were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, TGA, XRD and TEM analysis. The particle sizes of the catalysts obtained from the TEM photographs were in nm range. The synthesized Pt montmorillonite catalysts were tested for their catalytic performance in the liquid phase hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde at different pressures of hydrogen. The conversion was found to be as high as 91% with 78% selectivity towards cinnamyl alcohol. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.