Effect of ultrasonic irradiation power on sonochemical synthesis of gold nanoparticles

In this work, optimized size distribution and optical properties in the colloidal synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were obtained using a proposed ultrasonic irradiation assisted Turkevich-Frens method. The effect of three nominal ultrasound (20 kHz) irradiation powers: 60, 150, and 210 W have been analyzed as size and shape control parameters. The GNPs colloidal solutions were obtained from chloroauric acid (HAuCl₄) and trisodium citrate (C₆H₅Na₃O₇·2H₂O) under continuous irradiation for 1 h without any additional heat or stirring. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was monitored in the UV–Vis spectra every 10 min to found the optimal time for localized SPR wavelength (${\lambda }_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{R}}$), and the 210 sample procedure has reduced the ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{R}}$ localization at 20 min, while 150 and 60 samples have showed ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{R}}$ at 60 min. The nucleation and growth of GNPs showed changes in shape and size distribution associated with physical (cavitation, temperature) and chemical (radical generation, pH) conditions in the aqueous solution. The results showed quasi-spherical GNPs as pentakis dodecahedron (${\lambda }_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{R}}$ = 560 nm), triakis icosahedron (${\lambda }_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{R}}$ = 535 nm), and tetrakis hexahedron (${\lambda }_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{R}}$ = 525 nm) in a size range from 12 to 16 nm. Chemical effects of ultrasound irradiation were suggested in the disproportionation process, electrons of AuCl₂⁻ are rapidly exchanged through the gold surface. After AuCl₄⁻ and Cl⁻ were desorbed, a tetrachloroaurate complex was recycled for the two-electron reduction by citrate, aurophilic interaction between complexes AuCl₂⁻, electrons exchange, and gold seeds, the deposition of new gold atoms on the surface promoting the growth of GNPs. These mechanisms are enhanced by the effects of ultrasound, such as cavitation and transmitted energy into the solution. These results show that the plasmonic response from the reported GNPs can be tuned using a simple methodology with minimum infrastructure requirements. Moreover, the production method could be easily scalable to meet industrial manufacturing needs.     

Sonochemical assisted synthesis of SrFe12O19 nanoparticles

We present the synthesis of M-type strontium hexaferrite by sonochemistry and annealing. The effects of the sonication time and thermal energy on the crystal structure and magnetic properties of the obtained powders are presented. Strontium hexagonal ferrite (SrFe₁₂O₁₉) was successfully prepared by the ultrasonic cavitation (sonochemistry) of a complexed polyol solution of metallic acetates and diethylene glycol. The obtained materials were subsequently annealed at temperatures from 300 to 900 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the sonochemical process yields an amorphous phase containing Fe³⁺, Fe²⁺ and Sr²⁺ ions. This amorphous phase transforms into an intermediate phase of maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) at 300 °C. At 500 °C, the intermediate species is converted to hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) by a topotactic transition. The final product of strontium hexaferrite (SrFe₁₂O₁₉) is generated at 800 °C. The obtained strontium hexaferrite shows a magnetization of 62.3 emu/g, which is consistent with pure hexaferrite obtained by other methods, and a coercivity of 6.25 kOe, which is higher than expected for this hexaferrite. The powder morphology is composed of aggregates of rounded particles with an average particle size of 60 nm.     

Sonochemical preparation of SnS and SnS2 nano- and micropowders and their characterization

Sonochemical production of tin(II) and tin(IV) sulfides is investigated. Different conditions of syntheses are examined: used solvent (ethanol or ethylenediamine), source of tin (SnCl₂ or SnCl₄), the molar ratio of thioacetamide to the tin source, and time of sonication. The obtained powders are characterized by the X-ray diffraction method (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and the Tauc method. Raman and FT-IR measurements were performed for the obtained samples, which additionally confirmed the crystallinity and phase composition of the samples. The influence of experimental conditions on composition (is it SnS or SnS₂), morphology, and on the bandgap of obtained products is elucidated. It was found that longer sonication times favor more crystalline product. Each of bandgaps is direct and most of them show typical values – c.a. 1.3 eV for SnS and 2.4 eV for SnS₂. However, there are some exceptions. Synthesized powders show a variety of forms such as needles, flower-like, rods, random agglomerates (SnS₂) and balls (SnS). Using ethanol as a solvent led to powders of SnS₂ independently of which tin chloride is used. Sonochemistry in ethylenediamine is more diverse: this solvent protects Sn²⁺ cations from oxidation so mostly SnS is obtained, while SnCl₄ does not produce powder of SnS₂ but Sn(SO₄)₂ instead or, at a higher ratio of thioacetamide to SnCl₄, green clear mixture.     

Sonochemical rate enhanced by a new nanomagnetic embedded core/shell nanoparticles and catalytic performance in the multicomponent synthesis of pyridoimidazoisoquinolines

A sonochemical approach for the one-pot three-component synthesis of pyridoimidazoisoquinolines via by using phthalaldehyde, trimethylsilylcyanide and aminopyridines the presence of a catalytic amount of a new nanomagnetic catalyst Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-CO-C₆H₄-NH₂ is described. The characterization of the nanocatalyst and the product was done by various methods, such as FT-IR, SEM, EDX, TGA/DTA, NMR, MS and CHN analyses. This is the first design, preparation, characterization and application of the present core/shell nanomaterial and also the first ultrasound irradiated synthesis of the biologically and pharmaceutically important fused polycyclic compounds in ethanol as a green solvent. This novel protocol offers several advantages such as high yields, short reaction times, environmentally-friendly reaction media, easily isolation of the products, simple preparation and recoverability of the nanocatalyst by an external magnet and reusing several times without significant decrease in catalytic activity.     

Sonochemical synthesis of nanocrystalline mercury sulfide, selenide and telluride in aqueous solutions

Nanocrystalline mercury chalcogenides HgE (E = S, Se, Te) were synthesized in a single step by a convenient, simple sonochemical method. Mercury nitrate, Hg(NO₃)₂, dissolved in 0.1 M ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), was used as the source of mercury and elemental chalcogenes, dissolved in a NaOH solution, as the sources of chalcogenide. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). The synthesis procedure is simple and uses less toxic reagents than the previously reported methods. The results showed that the complexing agent EDTA plays a crucial role in the process.     

Photochemical synthesis of polygonal gold nanoparticles

In this paper, we propose a method to generate gold nanoparticles capable of absorbing near infrared light (NIR) radiation through a photochemical reaction. This approach does not require the use of either surfactants or polymers, reducing the difficulties that may arise in further chemical modifications for the gold nanoparticles. The gold nanoparticles with either triangular or hexagonal shapes were generated using the photo-reduction method, mixing hydrogen tetrachloroaurate with sodium oxalate, a reducing agent, in aqueous solution under illumination of a mercury lamp (λ_max = 306 nm) for more than 10 min. The size of the gold nanoparticles varies from 25 to 200 nm, which mainly depends on the duration of light illumination and the concentration of sodium oxalate. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the presence of the gold nanoparticles in aqueous solutions can effectively elevate the temperature of the solutions under irradiation of NIR light (808 nm) within a few minutes. The gold nanoparticles can be potentially used as suitable photothermal agents for hyperthermia.     

Sonochemical synthesis of PdO@silica as a nanocatalyst for selective aerobic alcohol oxidation

A sonochemical method has been employed for the synthesis of palladium oxide (PdO) nanoparticles deposited on silica nanoparticle. By sonochemical process, the PdO nanoparticles were doped on the surface of silica at room temperature and atmospheric pressure with short reaction time. Silica nanoparticles were used as a supporting material to suppress aggregation and thereby to increase surface area of PdO nanoparticles. Fabricated PdO-doped silica nanoparticle (PdO@SNP) was applied as a nanocatalyst for selective alcohol oxidation reaction in the presence of molecular oxygen. The PdO@SNP composite showed higher catalytic activity and selectivity than unsupported PdO nanoparticle for aerobic alcohol oxidation reaction.     

The role of pulse time Toff on porous silicon as template for Au nanoparticles by using the integrated electrochemical technique

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) having variety of sizes and shape were prepared using the template synthesis approach. Porous silicon (PSi) was fabricated using the pulsed electrochemical anodization method at different pause times, T_off as template for gold deposition. Choosing suitable pulse parameter produces PSi with higher porosity and smaller crystallite size. SEM showed that the variation of T_off affects the pores formation and the growth of gold nanoparticles while EDX suggested the presence of Au inside the pores structure. Photoluminescence spectra showed emission enhancement and a blue shifted relative to porous silicon before deposited with AuNPs. XRD shows a high degree crystallinity of the samples and the presence of cubic gold with crystalline sizes was around 42 nm.     

Sonochemical synthesis of silver, copper and lead selenides

Ag₂Se, CuSe and PbSe were prepared by irradiating the mixtures of AgNO₃, CuI or PbCl₂ with selenium in ethylenediamine (en) with ultrasound at 18 kHz, using a commercial ultrasonic cleaner, respectively. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show that the products are orthorhombic Ag₂Se, hexagonal CuSe and cubic PbSe, respectively, and all are well crystallized in nanometers.     

Advances in the FDTD design and modeling of nano- and bio-photonics applications

In this paper we focus on the discussion of two recent unique applications of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation method to the design and modeling of advanced nano- and bio-photonic problems. The approach that is adopted here focuses on the potential of the FDTD methodology to address newly emerging problems and not so much on its mathematical formulation. We will first discuss the application of a traditional formulation of the FDTD approach to the modeling of sub-wavelength photonics structures. Next, a modified total/scattered field FDTD approach will be applied to the modeling of biophotonics applications including optical phase contrast microscope (OPCM) imaging of cells containing gold nanoparticles (NPs) as well as its potential application as a modality for in vivo flow cytometry configurations. The conclusion provides a justification for the selection of the two specific examples and summarizes some of the insights that could open the opportunity for the application of the FDTD approach in new research areas.     

Local density variation of gold nanoparticles in aquatic environments

Gold (Au) nanoparticles are widely used in diagnosing cancer, imaging, and identification of therapeutic methods due to their particular quantum characteristics. This research presents different types of aqueous models and potentials used in TIP3P, to study the effect of the particle size and density of Au clusters in aquatic environments; so it can be useful to facilitate future investigation of the interaction of proteins with Au nanoparticles. The EAM potential is used to model the structure of gold clusters. It is observed that in the systems with identical gold/water density and different cluster radii, gold particles are distributed in aqueous environment almost identically. Thus, Au particles have identical local densities, and the root mean square displacement (RMSD) increases with a constant slope. However in systems with constant cluster radii and different gold/water densities, Au particle dispersion increases with density; as a result, the local density decreases and the RMSD increases with a larger slope. In such systems, the larger densities result in more blunted second peaks in gold–gold radial distribution functions, owing to more intermixing of the clusters and less FCC crystalline features at longer range, a mechanism that is mediated by the competing effects of gold–water and gold–gold interactions.     

The effect of etching time of porous silicon on solar cell performance

Porous silicon (PS) layers based on crystalline silicon (c-Si) n-type wafers with (1 0 0) orientation were prepared using electrochemical etching process at different etching times. The optimal etching time for fabricating the PS layers is 20 min. Nanopores were produced on the PS layer with an average diameter of 5.7 nm. These increased the porosity to 91%. The reduction in the average crystallite size was confirmed by an increase in the broadening of the FWHM as estimated from XRD measurements. The photoluminescence (PL) peaks intensities increased with increasing porosity and showed a greater blue shift in luminescence. Stronger Raman spectral intensity was observed, which shifted and broadened to a lower wave numbers of 514.5 cm⁻¹ as a function of etching time. The lowest effective reflectance of the PS layers was obtained at 20 min etching time. The PS exhibited excellent light-trapping at wavelengths ranging from 400 to 1000 nm. The fabrication of the solar cells based on the PS anti-reflection coating (ARC) layers achieved its highest efficiency at 15.50% at 20 min etching time. The I-V characteristics were studied under 100 mW/cm² illumination conditions.     

Conductive properties of foam and cluster structures created from hexanthiol-passivated gold nanoparticles

The study of hexanethiol-passivated gold nanoparticles is reported. Depending on the age of the solution two kind of structures are obtained, “foam-like” in fresh solution and “cluster-like” few weeks after the solution preparation. Both kind of structures have been studied regarding to their structural and electrical properties. The cluster-like structures have shown lower electrical resistivity compared to foam-like ones. Some other factors like sonication, have shown to have no effect on the formation of one or another kind of structure.     

Solvent effect in sonochemical synthesis of metal-alloy nanoparticles for use as electrocatalysts

Nanomaterials are now widely used in the fabrication of electrodes and electrocatalysts. Herein, we report a sonochemical study of the synthesis of molybdenum and palladium alloy nanomaterials supported on functionalized carbon material in various solvents: hexadecane, ethanol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) and Ionic liquids (ILs). The objective was to identify simple and more environmentally friendly design and fabrication methods for nanomaterial synthesis that are suitable as electrocatalysts in electrochemical applications. The particles size and distribution of nanomaterials were compared on two different carbons as supports: activated carbon and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The results show that carbon materials functionalized with ILs in ethanol/deionized water mixture solvent produced smaller particles sizes (3.00 ± 0.05 nm) with uniform distribution while in PEG 400, functionalized materials produced 4.00 ± 1 nm sized particles with uneven distribution (range). In hexadecane solvents with Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as capping ligands, large particle sizes (14.00 ± 1 nm) were produced with wide particle size distribution. The metal alloy nanoparticles produced in ILs without any external reducing agent have potential to exhibit a higher catalytic activity due to smaller particle size and uniform distribution.     

Sonosynthesis of gold nanoparticles from a geranium leaf extract

A rapid in situ biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is proposed in which a geranium (Pelargonium zonale) leaf extract was used as a non-toxic reducing and stabilizing agent in a sonocatalysis process based on high-power ultrasound. The synthesis process took only 3.5 min in aqueous solution under ambient conditions. The stability of the nanoparticles was studied by UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy with reference to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band. AuNPs have an average lifetime of about 8 weeks at 4 °C in the absence of light. The morphology and crystalline phase of the gold nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The composition of the nanoparticles was evaluated by electron diffraction and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). A total of 80% of the gold nanoparticles obtained in this way have a diameter in the range 8–20 nm, with an average size of 12 ± 3 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the presence of biomolecules that could be responsible for reducing and capping the biosynthesized gold nanoparticles. A hypothesis concerning the type of organic molecules involved in this process is also given. Experimental design linked to the simplex method was used to optimize the experimental conditions for this green synthesis route. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a high-power ultrasound-based sonocatalytic process and experimental design coupled to a simplex optimization process has been used in the biosynthesis of AuNPs.     

Effects of pores and temperature on mechanics of gold nanowires using molecular dynamics

The deformation mechanisms of gold nanowires with different nanopores under tension were simulated by molecular dynamics (MD). The stress–strain curves varied from different porous defects, and the tension caused dislocations to take place and slip along plane (1 1 1). Moreover, the tensile strength of the nanoporous monocrystalline gold was decreased when the simulated temperature increased. The stress concentrations factors of porous nanowires were calculated, and it was found that there was a great influence of size and model effects on the stress concentration factors.     

Surface modification of gold nanoparticles and their monolayer behavior at the air/water interface

Gold nanoparticles were prepared by two different methods. The first method was chemically grafting the particles with different lengths of alkylthiol (C₆SH, C₁₂SH and C₁₈SH). For the second method, the Au particles were surface modified first by mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) to render a surface with carboxylic acid groups which play a role to physically adsorb cationic surfactant in chloroform. This method was termed physical/chemical method. In the first method, the effects of alkyl chain length and dispersion solvent on the monolayer behavior of surface modified gold nanoparticles was evaluated. The gold nanoparticles prepared by 1-hexanthiol demonstrated the narrowest size distribution. Most of them showed narrower particle size distributions in chloroform than in hexane. For the physical/chemical method, the particles can spread more uniformly on the water surface which is attributed to the amphiphilic character of the particles at the air/water interface. However, the particles cannot pack closely due to the relatively weak particle-particle interaction. The effect of alkyl chain length was also assessed for the second method.     

Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using Capsicum annuum var. grossum pulp extract and its catalytic activity

Biological synthesis approach has been regarded as a green, eco-friendly and cost effective method for nanoparticles preparation without any toxic solvents and hazardous bi-products during the process. This present study reported a facile and rapid biosynthesis method for gold nanoparticles (GNPs) from Capsicum annuum var. grossum pulp extract in a single-pot process. The aqueous pulp extract was used as biotic reducing agent for gold nanoparticle growing. Various shapes (triangle, hexagonal, and quasi-spherical shapes) were observed within range of 6–37 nm. The UV–Vis spectra showed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak for the formed GNPs at 560 nm after 10 min incubation at room temperature. The possible influences of extract amount, gold ion concentration, incubation time, reaction temperature and solution pH were evaluated to obtain the optimized synthesis conditions. The effects of the experimental factors on NPs synthesis process were also discussed. The produced gold nanoparticles were characterized by transform electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results demonstrated that the as-obtained GNPs were well dispersed and stable with good catalytic activity. Biomolecules in the aqueous extract were responsible for the capping and stabilization of GNPs.     

Sonochemical synthesis of carbon supported Sn nanoparticles and its electrochemical application

A sonochemical approach was employed to prepare Vulcan carbon XC-72R supported by Sn nanoparticles at room temperature in the presence of ethylene glycol. The reduction of metallic Sn ion and ethylene glycol takes place and in turn the glycolate ion as formed acts as a stabilizing agent. Transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have illustrated that the metallic Sn nanoparticles are successfully embedded on the carbon. The significantly observed reduction over potential for oxygen reduction reaction displays a higher catalytic activity of carbon supported by Sn nanoparticles due to the large surface area of the modified electrode.     

Sonochemical synthesis of carbon dots,mechanism, effect of parameters,and catalytic,energy, biomedical and tissue engineering applications

Carbon-based nanomaterials are gaining more and more interest because of their wide range of applications. Carbon dots (CDs) have shown exclusive interest due to unique and novel physicochemical, optical, electrical, and biological properties. Since their discovery, CDs became a promising material for wide range of research applications from energy to biomedical and tissue engineering applications. At same time several new methods have been developed for the synthesis of CDs. Compared to many of these methods, the sonochemical preparation is a green method with advantages such as facile, mild experimental conditions, green energy sources, and feasibility to formulate CDs and doped CDs with controlled physicochemical properties and lower toxicity. In the last five years, the sonochemically synthesized CDs were extensively studied in a wide range of applications. In this review, we discussed the sonochemical assisted synthesis of CDs, doped CDs and their nanocomposites. In addition to the synthetic route, we will discuss the effect of various experimental parameters on the physicochemical properties of CDs; and their applications in different research areas such as bioimaging, drug delivery, catalysis, antibacterial, polymerization, neural tissue engineering, dye absorption, ointments, electronic devices, lithium ion batteries, and supercapacitors. This review concludes with further research directions to be explored for the applications of sonochemical synthesized CDs.