Electroless plating of platinum nanoparticles onto mesoporous cellulose films for catalytically active free-standing materials

Here we report a simple and cost-effective approach for the electroless plating of platinum onto mesoporous cellulosic structures to obtain catalytically active free-standing hybrid materials. Pt nanoparticles are reduced onto native cellulosic supports through wet chemical reduction of cis-[PtCl2(sty)(2)] (sty=styrene). The decoration of solid cellulosic films by Pt nanoparticles was followed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, reflectance mode ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. An induction period is observed for the reduction of cis-[PtCl2(sty)(2)] to spherical Pt nanoparticles onto cellulosic supports, after which the amount of deposited Pt increases rapidly. Upon coating a commercially available cellulose fabric with Pt, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area increases by a factor of 4. Catalytic properties of obtained materials are examined for two model reactions; the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and the hydrosilylation of styrene with triethylsilane. Catalysis was particularly efficient using previously synthesized mesoporous cellulose nanocrystal films as supports due to their high specific surface area up to 177m(2)g(-1). Free-standing Pt-decorated mesoporous cellulose films could be potentially used in catalytic applications for the production of industrially relevant compounds and wastewater treatment.Graphical abstractAn approach for the electroless plating of platinum onto mesoporous cellulosic structures to obtain catalytically active free-standing hybrid materials is here reported. Obtained materials show a potential application for novel production procedures applied to industrially relevant compounds. [GRAPHICS] .