Optical properties of thermally responsive amphiphilic gold nanoparticles protected with polymers

Amphiphilic thermally responsive gold nanoparticles have been prepared by protecting the particles with both polystyrene, PS, and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAM, chains. Particles form a monolayer on a water surface in a Langmuir trough, and according to in situ spectroscopic measurements, the surface plasmon resonance, SPR, band undergoes a blue-shift during the monolayer compression. The compression-induced blue-shift is related to a change in the conformation of tethered PNIPAM chains; the phenomenon is discussed on the basis of Mie-Drude theory. In contrast, a red-shift in the SPR of the multilayers of the same nanoparticles transferred at different temperatures has been observed with increasing the deposition cycle, attributed to the presence of a weak interparticle coupling in the multilayer.     

Shape controlled growth of gold nanoparticles by a solution synthesis

The shape of gold nanoparticles has been successfully tuned among penta-twinned decahedrons, truncated tetrahedrons, cubes, octahedrons, hexagonal thin plates by introducing a small amount of salt into a N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution containing poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), and changing the temperature or the concentration of the gold precursor.     

聚甲基丙烯酸钠辅助的金纳米颗粒的绿色制备

利用聚甲基丙烯酸钠的弱还原性和螯合作用,建立了一种水溶性金纳米颗粒合成的新方法.借助紫外可见分光光度计和透射电子显微镜对金纳米颗粒进行了表征,初步讨论了反应物浓度以及反应温度对产物的影响.     

Photochemical synthesis of gold nanoparticles in latexes

Gold nanoparticles in aqueous dispersions of 100-nm polystyrene microspheres were prepared by photochemical synthesis under exposure to monochromatic light with an excitation wavelength of 254 nm. The kinetic relationships in formation of gold nanoparticles were examined in relation to the H[AuCl₄] and polymer concentration in the photolyte.     

Surfactant-free synthesis and functionalization of gold nanoparticles

A new, facile and generally applicable synthesis of functionalized gold nanoparticles is presented. It is based on the surfactant-free generation of weakly stabilized nanoparticles by the reduction of HAuCl4 with sodium naphthalenide in diglyme. These nanoparticles were found to lack long-term stability. However, stabilization in both unpolar and polar solvents could straightforwardly be achieved by subsequent addition of various capping ligands. The resulting ligand-capped gold nanoparticles were investigated by TEM microscopy, UV-vis, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Particle core size can be tuned by the amount of reduction agent. The strict separation of the reduction step and the functionalization step in this one-pot synthesis offers an easy and fast access to highly functionalized gold nanoparticles.     

Photochemical synthesis and self-assembly of gold nanoparticles

Colloidal gold was prepared by UV light irradiation of the mixture of HAuCl₄ aqueous solution and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) ethanol solution in the presence of silver ions. The resulting sheet-like nanoparticles were found to self-assemble into nanoflowers by a centrifuging process. The results of control experiments reflected that only suitable size sheet-like nanoparticles could assemble into the flower-like structures. The presence of Ag ions and PVP are essential for the formation process of nanoflowers. They perform their function by serving as structure-directing agents to produce the sheet-like particles. The appearance of the flower-like assemblages is attributed to the combination of Van der Waals force and the anisotropic hydrophobic attraction between the nanoparticles. The flower-like assemblages films can be used as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates with 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) molecule as a test probe.     

Sonochemical synthesis of gold nanoparticles: effects of ultrasound frequency

The rate of sonochemical reduction of Au(III) to produce Au nanoparticles in aqueous solutions containing 1-propanol has been found to be strongly dependent upon the ultrasound frequency. The size and distribution of the Au nanoparticles produced can also be correlated with the rate of Au(III) reduction, which in turn is influenced by the applied frequency. Our results suggest that the rate of Au(III) reduction as well as the size distribution of Au particles are governed by the chemical effects of cavitation and are not significantly affected by the physical effects accompanying ultrasound-induced cavitation.     

Facile photochemical synthesis of unprotected aqueous gold nanoparticles

Aqueous, unprotected gold nanoparticles were prepared from HAuCl4 using a water-soluble benzoin (Irgacure-2959) as a photochemical source of strongly reducing ketyl radicals. This rapid method provides spatiotemporal control of nanoparticle generation, while light intensity can be used to control particle size. The particles are stable for months and do not require any of the conventional (S, N, or P) stabilizing ligands, although these can be readily incorporated if required.     

Size-controlled synthesis and characterization of thiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles

Size-controlled synthesis of nanoparticles of less than a few nanometers in size is a challenge due to the spatial resolution limit of most scattering and imaging techniques used for their structural characterization. We present the self-consistent analysis of the extended x-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy data of ligand-stabilized metal nanoclusters. Our method employs the coordination number truncation and the surface-tension models in order to measure the average diameter and analyze the structure of the nanoparticles. EXAFS analysis was performed on the two series of dodecanethiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles prepared by one-phase and two-phase syntheses where the only control parameter was the gold/thiol ratio xi, varied between 6:1 and 1:6. The two-phase synthesis resulted in the smaller particles whose size decreased monotonically and stabilized at 16 A when xi was lowered below 1:1. This behavior is consistent with the theoretically predicted thermodynamic limit obtained previously in the framework of the spherical drop model of Au nanoparticles.     

One-phase synthesis of gold nanoparticles with varied solubility

We developed a straightforward synthesis of gold nanoparticles with diameters in the range 2.1-7.0 nm which display solubility in both aqueous and nonpolar (toluene, chloroform) media. This versatile solubility of the nanoparticles is achieved by the use of a thiolated PEG capping agent. Their plasmon resonance band is virtually unaltered in different media.     

One-step synthesis and characterization of dendrimer-protected gold nanoparticles

We proposed an economic, convenient, and mild synthesis of dendrimer-protected gold nanoparticles by exposing a third-generation poly(propyleneimine) dendrimer-HAuCl₄ aqueous solution to sunlight without the additional step of introducing other reducing agents and protective agents. Most importantly, it is found that the size of the gold nanoparticles thus formed can be controlled by the molar ratio of the dendrimer to gold. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

Liquid crystal composites with a high percentage of gold nanoparticles

We have reported in our previous work that doping low concentrations (up to 10% by weight) of gold nanoparticles (GNP) in a polar nematic 4’-hexyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (HBPCN) increases the dielectric anisotropy, while the switching voltage and times, and the nematic–isotropic liquid (IL) transition point of the mixtures are not affected by doped nanoparticles. In the current work we extend our study of the behaviour of HBPCN doped with higher than 10% GNP. We show that at certain gold concentrations – 35% and 45% – the nematic–IL phase transition point increases by 15°C in comparison with the pure nematic value. At the same concentrations the dielectric anisotropy increases from its value for the pure nematic by about 2.2 times for 35% and twice for 45%. Also, the threshold voltage increases by 0.2 V for 35% and decreases by 0.15 V for 45%. However, the switching-off times decrease for both concentrations: 7 ms for 35% and 12 ms for 45%. We propose that the described effects of doped GNP on the properties of the nematic are due to the formation of different kinds of aggregations between two components of the mixtures.     

Films and composites of gold nanoparticles stabilized by abietic acid

We studied the usefulness of dispersions of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) stabilized by abietic acid for manufacturing films on glass and silicon substrates and composites with nanosized and powder materials exemplified by SiO₂ and TiO₂ NPs, expanded graphite (EG), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a porous carbon material (PCM), PCM containing 6% nitrogen, and CeO₂ powder.     

Microbial synthesis of gold nanoparticles: Current status and future prospects

Gold nanoparticles have been employed in biomedicine since the last decade because of their unique optical, electrical and photothermal properties. Present review discusses the microbial synthesis, properties and biomedical applications of gold nanoparticles. Different microbial synthesis strategies used so far for obtaining better yield and stability have been described. It also includes different methods used for the characterization and analysis of gold nanoparticles, viz. UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X ray diffraction spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ransmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, electron dispersive X ray, X ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltametry. The different mechanisms involved in microbial synthesis of gold nanoparticles have been discussed. The information related to applications of microbially synthesized gold nanoparticles and patents on microbial synthesis of gold nanoparticles has been summarized.     

4-十二烷氧基苄胺在纳米金微粒合成中的应用

以新型表面活性剂4-十二烷氧基苄胺(C12OBA)构成的C12OBA/正丁醇/正庚烷/丙醛/HAuCl4(aq)反相微乳液作为微反应器,利用微波辐射加热-丙醛还原法制备了C12OBA包覆金纳米微粒;利用透射电镜、傅立叶变换红外光谱仪及X射线衍射仪分析了产物的微观形貌、化学键合特征、晶体结构;并测定了其紫外-可见吸收光谱.结果显示,表面活性剂C12OBA既可参与形成稳定的反相微乳液,又可作为金纳米微粒的良好保护剂.反相微乳液液滴的微小水核以及C12OBA/金的物质的量之比对纳米金微粒的尺寸和形貌起到良好的控制作用.     

Morphology-selective synthesis of polyhedral gold nanoparticles: what factors control the size and morphology of gold nanoparticles in a wet-chemical process

Polyhedral gold nanoparticles below 100 nm in size were fabricated by continuously delivered HAuCl(4) and PVP starting solutions into l-ascorbic acid aqueous solution in the presence of gold seeds, and under addition of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). By continuously delivered PVP and HAuCl(4) starting solutions in the presence of gold seed, the size and shape of polyhedral gold were achieved in relatively good uniformity (particle size distribution=65-95 nm). Morphological evolution was also attempted using different growth rates of crystal facets with increasing reaction temperature, and selective adsorption of PVP.     

Green synthesis of well-dispersed gold nanoparticles using Macrotyloma uniflorum

The synthesis of metal nanoparticles of different sizes, shapes, chemical composition and controlled monodispersity is an important area of research in nanotechnology because of their interesting physical properties and technological applications. Present work describes an eco-friendly method for the synthesis of spherical gold nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Macrotyloma uniflorum. The effects of quantity of extract, temperature and pH on the formation of nanoparticles are studied. The nanoparticles are characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR analysis. The high crystallinity of nanoparticles with fcc phase is evident from HRTEM images, SAED and XRD patterns. Synthesized nanoparticles have size in the range 14-17nm. FTIR spectrum indicates the presence of different functional groups present in the bio-molecule capping the nanoparticles. The possible mechanism leading to the formation of gold nanoparticles is suggested.     

Reverse microemulsion-mediated synthesis of silica-coated gold and silver nanoparticles

A reverse microemulsion method is reported for preparing monodispersed silica-coated gold (or silver) nanoparticles without the use of a silane coupling agent or polymer as the surface primer. This method enables a fine control of the silica shell thickness with nanometer precision. As compared to the St?ber method reported for direct silica coating, which can only coat large gold particles ( approximately 50 nm in diameter) at low concentrations (<1.5 x 10(10) particles/mL), this new approach is capable of coating gold particles of a wide range of sizes (from 10 to 50 nm) at a much higher concentration ( approximately 1.5 x 10(13) particles/mL). Moreover, it enables straightforward surface functionalization via co-condensation between tetraethyl orthosilicate and another silane with the desired functional groups. The functional groups introduced by this method are readily accessible and thus useful for various applications.