Intermatrix synthesis of polymer stabilized inorganic nanocatalyst with maximum accessibility for reactants

In this paper we report a comparative study of different procedures for the inter-matrix synthesis (IMS) of monometallic Pd-Polymer-Stabilized Metal NanoParticles (PSMNPs) in sulfonated polyetherether ketone (SPEEK) as stabilizing polymeric matrix. The IMS technique consists in consecutive metal loading-reduction cycles and can be realized by using two different versions: (i) in situ and (ii) ex situ. For in situ IMS the bare polymeric material is first deposited onto the electrode surface followed by metal loading and reduction. The last step ( reduction of metal ions to PSMNPs) can be done either chemically or electrochemically. Pd-PSMNPs were synthesized by varying both the Pd concentration in the loading solution and the IMS procedure. MNPs were characterized by TEM, XRD, ICP-OES and EDS techniques and the main differences found are related to MNPs size and their spatial distribution inside the polymeric matrix. The catalytic activity of Pd-PSMNPs synthesized by different versions of the IMS technique was evaluated by using PSMNPs modified electrodes as amperometric sensors.