Formation of palladium fullerides and their thermal decomposition into palladium nanoparticles

Formation of palladium fullerides from various Pd:C-60 compositions was studied by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and TEM. Raman spectra of PdxC60 samples show close similarity to spectra of C-60 polymers obtained under high pressure/high temperature conditions and suggest the formation of chain-like and two-dimensional polymeric structures in PdxC60 of various compositions. Thermal decomposition of PdxC60 results in the formation of fine 5-10 nm size nanoparticles of palladium which can be used for catalytic applications. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.