Pt particles functionalized on the molecular level as new nanocomposite materials for electrocatalysis.

A nanocomposite material consisting of platinum nanoparticles surrounded by an ionic conducting polymer dispersed on carbon Vulcan XC72 was synthesized. The aim of this nanocomposite material is to translate the triple-phase boundary to a molecular level in electrochemical systems involving a polymer electrolyte. The ionic conducting polymer is a poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA, or PSSNa in its sodium form) synthesized by atom-transfer radical polymerization.