Abstract: An ionic copolymer, poly(NVP-co-VBIM+Cl-), was used to stabilize the platinum nanoclusters in [bmim]BF4 ionic liquid. The nanoclusters obtained were uniform in size and very stable. The catalytic performance of the platinum nanoparticles was tested by selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. The system exhibited excellent selectivity (>95%) for cinnamic alcohol with high conversion (>90%), and the catalysts were recycled with the activity and selectivity preserved.

Key words: platinum, nanocluster, ionic liquid, ionic copolymer, cinnamaldehyde, selective hydrogenation, cinnamic alcohol