Radiolytic Synthesis of Pt-Particle/ABS Catalysts for H2O2 Decomposition in Contact Lens Cleaning

Abstract

A container used in contact lens cleaning requires a Pt plating weight of 1.5 mg for H2O2 decomposition although Pt is an expensive material. Techniques that decrease the amount of Pt are therefore needed. In this study, Pt nanoparticles instead of Pt plating film were supported on a substrate of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene copolymer (ABS). This was achieved by the reduction of Pt ions in an aqueous solution containing the ABS substrate using high-energy electron-beam irradiation. Pt nanoparticles supported on the ABS substrate (Pt-particle/ABS) had a size of 4–10 nm. The amount of Pt required for Pt-particle/ABS was 250 times less than that required for an ABS substrate covered with Pt plating film (Pt-film/ABS). The catalytic activity for H2O2 decomposition was estimated by measuring the residual H2O2 concentration after immersing the catalyst for 360 min. The Pt-particle/ABS catalyst had a considerably higher specific catalytic activity for H2O2 decomposition than the Pt-film/ABS catalyst. In addition, sterilization performance was estimated from the initial rate of H2O2 decomposition over 60 min. The Pt-particle/ABS catalyst demonstrated a better sterilization performance than the Pt-film/ABS catalyst. The difference between Pt-particle/ABS and Pt-film/ABS was shown to reflect the size of the O2 bubbles formed during H2O2 decomposition.

Keywords

• nanoparticle
• supported catalyst
• radical reactions
• platinum (Pt)
• H2O2 decomposition
• contact lens cleaning