Facile synthesis of platinum nanoparticle-containing porous carbons, and their application to amperometric glucose biosensing

• Published in: Mikrochimica acta (1966) 2014-11, Vol.181 (15-16), p.1871-1878
• Main Authors: Yabutani, Tomoki, Waterhouse, Geoffrey I. N., Sun-Waterhouse, Dongxiao, Metson, James B., Iinuma, Akiko, Thuy, Le Thi Xuan, Yamada, Yohei, Takayanagi, Toshio, Motonaka, Junko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Carbon; Carbonization; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Dextrose; Electrical measurements; Gels; Glucose; Metal catalysts; Microengineering; Nanochemistry; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Original Paper; Oxidases; Platinum; Raman spectroscopy; Synthesis; X-ray spectroscopy
• ISSN: 0026-3672; 1436-5073
• DOI: 10.1007/s00604-014-1270-1

This study describes the facile synthesis of platinum nanoparticle-containing porous carbons (Pt/C) by carbonization of freeze-dried agarose gels containing potassium tetrachloroplatinate under a nitrogen atmosphere at 800 °C. By adjusting the ratio between agarose and platinate in the freeze-dried gels, the Pt content in the final Pt/C products could be systematically varied from 0–10 wt.%. Transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and nitrogen physisorption measurements revealed that the Pt/C materials obtained by this method possess high surface areas (350–500 m 2  g −1 ), narrow Pt nanoparticle size distributions (6 ± 3 nm) and nanocrystalline graphite –like carbon character. By immobilization of glucose oxidase on the surface of a 4 wt.% Pt/C electrocatalyst prepared by this route, a very sensitive amperometric glucose biosensor was obtained (response time