Platinum nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized on magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets form a heterogeneous 2D reduction catalyst with excellent recyclability. The hybrid catalyst is formed by electrostatic self-assembly of platinum NPs on the exfoliated LDH nanosheets.

Duk-Young Jung and co-workers, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea, describe how the functionalized nanosheets, with double-sided hydroxide functionality, reduce p-nitrophenol into p-aminophenol in aqueous colloid solution with over 97 % conversion. After recovery of the LDH nanosheets by centrifugation, their catalytic activity did not decrease over four cycles, in comparison to platinum NPs alone, which lost catalytic activity completely owing to particle agglomeration. The uniform distribution and strong binding of the platinum NPs to the nanosheet prevented their aggregation.

The hybrid catalyst, with high dispersion, a strong affinity to the platinum NPs, and excellent diffusion properties, makes an ideal heterogeneous catalyst with potential for further functionality.

• Enhanced Catalytic Activity of Platinum Nanoparticles by Exfoliated Metal Hydroxide Nanosheets,
  Jong Hyeon Lee, Hana Kim, Yeon Soo Lee, Duk-Young Jung,
  ChemCatChem 2013.
  DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201300724