Dispersing of Ag, Pd, and Pt-Ru alloy nanoparticles on single-walled carbon nanotubes by γ-irradiation

Dispersions of Ag, Pd, and Pt-Ru alloy nanoparticles in poly(vinylpyrrodione) (PVP) were produced by γ-irradiation induced reduction of metal ions at room temperature. The photographs from Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) inform that Ag, Pd, and Pt-Ru alloy nanoparticles were dispersed with the particle sizes of about 25 nm, 0.6-1.5 nm, and 15 nm, respectively, in the aqueous dispersions. The nanoparticles of metals (Ag, Pd,) and alloy (Pt-Ru) were also dispersed on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as supporting materials using γ-irradiation at room temperature. Of interest, the attachment of the nanoparticles onto SWCNTs was strong enough to be present even after chemical cleaning and ultra-sonication. FT-IR spectroscopy gives evidence for the surface modification of SWCNTs through the presence of characteristic peaks of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups and provides support for the dispersion of nanoparticles on the surface of SWCNTs.