Cost-effective electrodeposition of platinum nanoparticles with ionic liquid droplet confined onto electrode surface as micro-media

We report here for the first time on the use of a droplet of water-immiscible ionic liquid (IL) containing metallic precursor confined onto electrode surface as new micro-media for cost-effective electrodeposition of platinum nanoparticles. 1-n-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BmimPF6), a typical water-immiscible IL, is found to be able to form a stable droplet onto electrode surface in which the metallic precursor (i.e., chloroplatinic acid hexahydrate (H2PtCl6)) for electrodeposition of Pt nanoparticles can be stably dissolved when the prepared electrode is used in aqueous solutions. The electrodeposition of Pt nanoparticles is carried out in the aqueous solution of 0.1 M KPF6 with the H2PtCl6-containing IL droplet-confined glassy carbon electrode as working electrode at −1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The Pt nanoparticles electrodeposited from the IL droplet micro-medium are characterized to have a uniform morphology and to possess an excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of methanol. Compared with the existing methods for the electrodeposition of metals with ILs as the solvents, the method demonstrated here requires a less amount of ILs and metallic precursors and is thus anticipated to provide a new and cost-effective approach to the deposition of metallic nanoparticles onto conducting substrate.