Monodisperse Pt(0)/DPA@GO nanoparticles as highly active catalysts for alcohol oxidation and dehydrogenation of DMAB

•The synthesis of monodisperse ‘Pt (0)/DPA@GO’ as a novel catalyst.•The usage of novel nanoparticles as a catalyst and an electrocatalyst.•The unprecendent catalytic activity of novel nanocatalysts.•Ultrasmall size, highly monodispersity and very high Pt (0) % surface of novel catalyst.

Addressed herein, monodisperse platinum nanoparticles (Pt (0)/DPA@GO NPs), supported on graphene oxide (GO), have been prepared by sonochemical double solvent reduction method by the help of dipropylamine (DPA) as a stabilizer at room temperature and used as a catalyst for both C1 to C3 alcohol oxidation reaction and the dehydrogenation of dimethylamine-borane ((CH3)2NHBH3) at room temperature. Monodisperse Pt (0)/DPA@GO NPs were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ICP-OES, and electrochemical measurements (CV). The catalytic performance of the monodisperse Pt NPs demonstrated that they were highly efficient and reusable catalysts even at low temperature for both methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol oxidations. The prepared nanoparticles can also catalyse the dehydrogenation of DMAB with very high activity (TOF = 35.82 h−1) at room temperature. The prepared monodisperse Pt (0)/DPA@GO NPs have ∼11.6, 16.8 and 7.61 times higher catalytic activities than the commercially available Pt (ETEK) catalyst towards C1 to C3 alcohol oxidation reactions, respectively. The exceptional catalytic activity and stability of highly efficient monodisperse Pt nanoparticles towards agglomeration leaching and CO poisoning allow these particles to be recycled and reused in the catalysis of DMAB dehydrogenation and C1 to C3 alcohol oxidation. After fifth subsequent reaction and recovery cycles, the prepared nanocatalyst retained almost >80% activity towards the complete dehydrogenation of DMAB and C1 to C3 alcohol oxidation.