160 A.L. Stepanov, A.N. Golubev, S.I. Nikitin and Y.N. Osin q  WiTaVXW JghWl XagXe b CgW Rev. Adv. Mater. Sci. 38 (2014) 160-175 Corresponding author: A.L. Stepanov, e-mail: aanstep@gmail.com A REVIEW ON THE FABRICATION AND PROPERTIES OF PLATINUM NANOPARTICLES A.L. Stepanov 1,2,3 , A.N. Golubev 2 , S.I. Nikitin 2 and Y.N. Osin 2 1 Kazan Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 420029 Kazan, Russian Federation 2 Kazan Federal University, 420018 Kazan, Russian Federation 3 Kazan National Research Technological University, 420015 Kazan, Russia Received: January 26, 2014 Abstract. A review on chemical and physical preparation of platinum nanoparticles and some applications with these nanoparticles is presented. Application perspectives such fields as nano- catalysts, electrical conductivity, optics and nonlinear optics are demonstrated. Different param- eters and condition of various fabrication technologies are considered and realized specific physical properties of platinum nanoparticles are discussed. 1. INTRODUCTION The search for new functional materials is one of the defining characteristics of modern science and technology. Metal nanoparticles (MNPs), in particu- lar, platinum nanoparticles (PtNs) can possess a wide range of properties that can be used for many practical applications. Nanostructured materials show much interdisciplinary effort. Both chemical and physical properties was found to be fruitful and, in many cases, fascinating in this nanosize range. MNPs are of interest due to their special properties in many aspects, such as catalysis and applica- tions of optical devices. Many physical and chemical properties of mod- ern materials for electronics, optics, chemical re- actions, and other high-tech applications depend closely on the manufacturing process. Synthesis and processing of MNPs pose a number of difficul- ties, especially in terms of reactivity and agglom- eration. The remarkable reactivity of MNPs, which makes them potential candidates, for instance, as catalysts, is associated to their high fraction of sur- face atoms as compared to conventional bulk ma- terials. In certain applications, a uniform dispersion of nanoparticles is required. MNPs usually present different characteristics from their corresponding bulk phase because of their finite size or equivalently the large fraction of atoms located near or at the particle surface, which can lead to significant changes in structural and chemical properties of the composite system. Due to potential technological interests of PtNs, the synthesis and study of nanoparticles was a very active field of research during last years. Platinum- containing films could be used for enzyme immobi- lization, optical applications, and catalytic activity. For instance, the enhanced catalytic activity of PtNs plays an important role in the reduction of pollutant gases exhausted from automobiles [1,2]. In particu- larly, these studies of nanostructured materials show a strong dependence of their properties on size and shape. For example, the size effect on the catalytical efficiency is known, and the perspective effect on catalysis by the shapes of metal nanoparticles is anticipated and under investigation. Also the stabil- ity of PtNs is of great importance to the develop- ment of efficient and durable proton exchange mem- brane fuel cells [3,4] and the coalescence of PtNs is responsible for a reduction in the electrochemi- cally active surface area that reduces cell perfor-