Synthesis and optical properties of triangular gold nanoplates with controllable edge length

Gold triangular nanoplates with a uniform size were synthesized by a simple seeds-growth method in a lamellar lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) medium consisting of F127, n-C₄H₉OH and H₂O. The edge length of gold nanoplates can be adjusted from tens to several hundreds nanometers (and even a few micrometers) by varying the concentration of Au³⁺ and the seeds solution volume. The optical properties of the synthesized gold nanoplates were studied. The vis-NIR spectra of the synthesized gold nanoplates exhibited a good linear correlation between the in-plane plasmon resonance λ_max and the average edge length of the corresponding nanoplates.

     

Facile synthesis of concave gold nanoplates in hexagonal liquid crystal made of SDS/water system

Concave gold nanoplates are obtained in hexagonal liquid crystal (LLC) made of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)/glycine/HAuCl(4) aqueous solution system where glycine plays the key role. All plates are single-crystals, characterized by {111} facets, with concave centers of regular hexagonal or triangular shapes, and with better electrocatalytic activity than gold nanoplates.     

新形金纳米片的简单制备与生长机制

在室温(~30 ℃)条件下,氯金酸(HAuCl₄)均匀混合在粘稠的表面活性剂聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)胶体(水为溶剂)中,HAuCl₄可以被PVP还原,从而形成纳米片. 本工作中,通过调整晶体生长条件,成功合成了大量新形貌的单晶金纳米片(厚度数十纳米,尺寸为数个微米). 例如,在晶体生长初期阶段,通过引入温度变化(如降温10-20 ℃),形成的金纳米片主要是六角星形,并伴有盾状、内凹外凸的三角状、截角的、三叉的及多台阶等新形纳米片. 结合理论计算,阐明了金纳米片的生长机制：在一定条件下,金(111)晶面不仅可以沿着<110>方向生长成为常规的三角或六角纳米片,还可以沿<211>、<321>等不同方向生长成含有更高指数侧面的新形金纳米片.     

High-yield synthesis of large single-crystalline gold nanoplates through a polyamine process

A polyamine process has been demonstrated for the high-yield preparation of single-crystalline gold nanoplates with several 10 microm in size, carried out by heating a concentrated aqueous solution of linear polyethylenimine and HAuCl4 at 100 degrees C. It suggests that the concentration of reactants is crucial to the formation of nanoplates.     

液晶模板法制备Au纳米线

利用非离子表面活性剂C₁₂E₄的层状液晶作为模板,以氯金酸(HAuCl₄)水溶液作为体系的水相和反应物,并利用C₁₂E₄中EO基团的还原性制备了Au的纳米线.研究表明,反应物的浓度、液晶体系的组成和反应时间都将影响产物的形貌.在适当条件下,可以得到直径约为20nm,长度达到几微米的均匀金纳米线,并探讨了纳米线形成过程中层状液晶的模板作用.     

Mechanistic study of the synthesis of Au nanotadpoles, nanokites, and microplates by reducing aqueous HAuCl4 with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)

This article describes a simple approach to anisotropic Au nanostructures with various shapes by reducing HAuCl 4 with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) in aqueous solutions without the use of any additional capping agent or reductant. In this approach, the commercially available PVP servers as a mild reducing agent thanks to its hydroxyl (-OH) end groups, enabling kinetic control over both nucleation and growth. As the volume of HAuCl 4 solution added to the reaction was increased, the morphology of Au nanostructures evolved from nanotadpoles to nanokites and then triangular and hexagonal microplates. The slow reduction rate associated with the mild reducing power of PVP plays a critical role in forming nanoplates during nucleation as well as their growth into highly anisotropic nanostructures. Electron microscopy studies reveal that the nanotadpoles and nanokites are formed through the linear fusion of small Au particles (<10 nm) to the initially formed nanoplates, whereas the microplates result from the continuous addition of Au atoms to the side faces of nanoplates. Through this morphological control, the localized surface plasmon resonance peaks of these Au nanostructures can be tuned in the visible and near-IR regions.     

紫外光辐照法制备金纳米盘及其反应机理

用紫外光辐照氯金酸、聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)和纳米金种子的混合溶液, 在室温下用30 min制备出尺度小于100 nm的截角三角形或六边形金纳米盘. X射线能谱和衍射分析表明粒子是以{111}面为盘状面的高纯面心立方金单晶, 红外透射光谱表明金粒子与PVP之间存在作用. 产物的可见吸收光谱表现出纳米盘的各向异性表面等离子体共振吸收峰. 不同实验条件下产物的吸收光谱分析表明: PVP起还原剂和包覆剂的作用; 高强度紫外光加速了反应进行; 种子对反应具有催化作用; 种子的加入量有最佳值, 在该值下纳米盘平均尺度最大(达80 nm), 吸收谱上的面内偶极共振峰位于950 nm处; 种子的加入量超过该值时, 纳米盘尺度变小, 面内偶极共振峰发生蓝移.     

有机分子CTAB对银纳米颗粒形貌的影响

报道了一种有效调节银纳米颗粒形貌的特殊方法.在不同浓度的CTAB有机分子作用下,片状三角形银纳米颗粒形貌发生改变,形成圆形和纺锤形等特殊形貌的银纳米片,研究了CTAB浓度对银纳米颗粒形貌的影响,从实验结果分析了银纳米颗粒形貌发生改变的主要因素.     

憎水性金纳米粒子的制备、表征与形貌控制

在十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)或十八胺(C18NH2)/正庚烷/乙醇/HAuCl4.4H2O W/O型微乳液体系中,利用简单的加热手段通过乙醇还原法制备了具有不同形貌和尺寸的憎水性金纳米材料。由CTAB或C18NH2稳定的金纳米颗粒运用紫外可见光谱(UV-vis)、透射电镜(TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)等分别进行了表征和分析。用混合表面活性剂(CTAB/C18NH2)替代单一表面活性剂(CTAB)可以削弱CTAB对金纳米晶体生长的导向作用并提高粒子的单分散性。     

壳聚糖介质金纳米盘的可控合成及生长机理

水浴加热氯金酸、壳聚糖和纳米金种子的混合液,以壳聚糖为稳定剂和还原剂成功合成了表面等离子体共振(SPR)吸收峰位可调的金纳米盘.SEM电镜图像表明纳米金盘主要为三角形和截角三角形,其边长在170 nm左右.X射线衍射分析表明金纳米盘是以{111}面为盘状面的高纯金单晶.讨论了金纳米盘的生长机理.在最佳条件下金纳米盘的面内偶极等离子共振吸收峰位于920 nm.实验结果表明通过控制壳聚糖的量、金种子的加入量、水浴温度及水浴时间可以有效地控制近红外等离子吸收峰位及吸收强度.     

Organic dye molecules as reducing agent for the synthesis of electroactive gold nanoplates

Highly crystalline, hexagonal and triangular nanoplates of gold are synthesized in high yield by a new wet chemical method using multifunctional molecules, Bismarck brown R (BBR) and Bismarck brown Y (BBY). This method involves a simple approach by keeping a mixture of aqueous HAuCl4 solution and BBR/BBY solution in presence of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) for 24 h. These nanostructures show unprecedented electrochemical properties exhibiting surface confinement effect. The UV-visible (UV-vis) spectrum shows certain distinct features with absorptions at 300, 400, and 650 nm extending up to the near infrared region. Selected area electron diffraction patterns of these nanoparticles show highly oriented (111) crystal facets. X-ray diffraction analysis also confirms the predominant orientation in the (111) crystal planes with lattice constant approximately 4.07 angstroms of face-centered-cubic (fcc) gold. X-ray photoelectron (XP) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis shows the presence of a fraction of reducing molecules as surface passivating agent either in the unreacted molecular state or as a mixture of reacted and unreacted product, which probably undergoes charge transfer with gold nanocrystals giving absorption at approximately 300 nm.     

Growth of anisotropic gold nanostructures on conducting glass surfaces

In this paper, we describe a method for the growth of gold nanowires and nanoplates starting from a bilayer array of gold seeds, anchored on electrically conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates. This is based on a seed-mediated growth approach, where the nanoparticles attached on the substrate through molecular linkages are converted to nanowires and nanoplates at certain cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) concentration. Our modified approach can be used to make nanowires of several tens of micrometers length at a lower CTAB concentration of 0.1 M. The length of the nanowires can be varied by adjusting the time of the reaction. As the concentration of CTAB was increased to 0.25 M, the nanoparticles got converted to nanoplates. These Au nanoplates are (111) oriented and are aligned parallel to the substrate.     

Gold nanoparticles prepared by glycinate ionic liquid assisted multi-photon photoreduction

We have successfully prepared gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with flower-like and spherical morphology through multi-photon photoreduction (MPR) of an aqueous solution of HAuCl(4) and (2-hydroxyethyl) trimethylammonium glycinate ([HETMA][Gly]) ionic liquid (IL) through the use of a femtosecond laser. The results of (1)H NMR and UV-Vis absorption indicated that AuNPs were produced from the photoreduction of the [Gly]-Au(iii) complex. Spherical AuNPs of about 2.5 nm were obtained on the solution when irradiated for 2 h, then aggregated into flower-like AuNPs of several tens of nanometers assisted by the IL with an increase in the irradiation time. Furthermore, precipitates of spherical AuNPs with the size of around 15 nm were formed after being irradiated for 6 h. The mechanisms of the MPR reaction and controlled growth of AuNPs have also been discussed.     

Shape-controlled synthesis of gold icosahedra and nanoplates using Pluronic P123 block copolymer and sodium chloride

Gold icosahedra with an average diameter of about 600 nm were easily prepared by heating an aqueous solution of the amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)₂₀-poly(propylene oxide)₇₀-poly(ethylene oxide)₂₀ (Pluronic P123), and hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) trihydrate (HAuCl₄·3H₂O) at 60 °C for 25 min. When sodium chloride (NaCl:HAuCl₄ molar ratio=10:1) was added to this aqueous solution, gold nanoplates were produced. The chloride ion was found to be a key component in the formation of the gold nanoplates by facilitating the growth of {111} oriented hexagonal/triangular gold nanoplates, because similar gold nanoplates were produced when LiCl or KCl was added to the aqueous solution instead of NaCl, while gold nanocrystals having irregular shapes were produced when NaBr or NaI was added.     

Growth of single crystalline dendritic Li2SiO3 arrays from LiNO3 and mesoporous SiO2

A solution based wet chemistry approach has been developed for synthesizing Li₂SiO₃ using LiNO₃ and mesoporous silica as starting materials at 550 °C. A reaction path where NO and O₂ are formed as side-products is proposed. The crystals synthesized exhibit dendritic growth where the as-prepared nanodendrite is a typical 1-fold nanodendrite composed of one several microns long and some tenth of nanometers wide trunk with small branches, which are several hundreds of nanometers long and up to 70 nm in diameter. The effect of the structure of the mesoporous silica for the final morphology is discussed.     

Ammonium ionic liquid as modulator of the critical micelle concentration of ammonium surfactant at aqueous solution: conductimetric and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies

We report measurements of self aggregation in aqueous solution of an ionic liquid (IL), didecyl-dimethylammonium nitrate ([DDA][NO(3)]) and a surfactant hexadecyl-trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and of mixtures of these two salts. The electrical conductivity and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements were used for the characterization of the aggregation process. The conductivity measurements were performed at three temperatures. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was determined at different temperatures and at different ratio of two salts. The effect of IL on the micellization of CTAB has been discussed. Our results suggest that organized structures formed by CTAB and [DDA][NO(3)] self assembly in domains of several hundred nanometers size. The micellar solubility of the salicylic acid in mixed salt aqueous solutions was determined to probe the physical properties of these assemblies. We have observed, that the micellar solubility enhancement was only slightly influenced by the nature of micelles present in aqueous solution. This proves that salicylic acid solubilization is enthalpy driven.     

Controlled synthesis of gold nanobelts and nanocombs in aqueous mixed surfactant solutions

Well-defined gold nanobelts as well as unique gold nanocombs made of nanobelts were readily synthesized by the reduction of HAuCl4 with ascorbic acid in aqueous mixed solutions of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDSn). Single-crystalline gold nanobelts grown along the <110> and <211> directions were prepared in mixed CTAB-SDSn solutions at 4 and 27 degrees C, respectively. Furthermore, single-crystalline gold nanocombs consisting of a <110>-oriented stem nanobelt and numerous <211>-oriented nanobelts grown perpendicularly on one side of the stem were fabricated by a two-step process with temperature changing from 4 to 27 degrees C. It was proposed that the mixed cationic-anionic surfactants exerted a subtle control on the growth of gold nanocrystals in solution due to the cooperative effect of mixed surfactants. This synthetic strategy may open a new route for the mild fabrication and hierarchical assembly of metal nanobelts in solution. The obtained gold nanobelts showed good electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of methanol in alkaline solution; in particular, the electrode modified with the nanobelts obtained at 27 degrees C exhibited an electrocatalytic activity considerably higher than normal polycrystalline gold electrode. Moreover, the gold nanobelts were used as the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate for detecting the enhanced Raman spectra of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) molecules, and the gold nanobelts obtained at 4 degrees C exhibited an unusual larger enhancement of the b2 modes relative to the a1 modes for the adsorbed PATP molecules.     

Synthesis of gold nano- and microplates in hexagonal liquid crystals

Single-crystalline gold nano- and microplates with triangular or hexagonal shapes are synthesized by reduction of HAuCl(4) in lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) mainly made of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers and water after adding a small amount of capping agents, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB). During the growth of such plates, capping agents play the crucial role. It is found that there is an optimal value of CTAB or TBAB concentration for producing microplates. The selective adsorption of CTAB or TBAB on certain crystallographic facets may be the key point of the supposed mechanism. Although LLC does not really act as a template, it provides an ordered structure confining CTAB as well as the nascent metal nuclei, which enhances the oriented attachment of nuclei and thus the consequent growth of single-crystal plates.     

Microemulsion approach to neodymium, europium, and ytterbium oxide/hydroxide colloids--effects of precursors and preparation parameters on particle size and crystallinity

Colloids based on lanthanides or their oxides have a great potential in the areas of optical and magnetic materials. In this study the confined space of reverse micellar systems formed by water in cyclohexane was used to precipitate particles based on neodymium, europium, and ytterbium. The morphology and structural properties of the prepared colloids were determined by transmission electron microscopy, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction and absorption measurements. The size of the obtained systems as determined by dynamic light scattering ranged from a few nanometers to several hundreds of nanometers in diameter, depending on the reaction conditions. The employed surfactant was found to have a major influence on the particle size and morphology. In contrast to the ionic surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 generally delivered very small and unagglomerated particles. The precursor counterion had a similar effect, depending on its ability to coordinate to the particle surface, and prevented particle growth and agglomeration. The influence of further parameters such as the pH of the aqueous starting solutions, the mixing methodology, and the preparation temperature was also investigated. Applying increased temperatures the particles exhibited a higher crystallinity, and at the same time the particle size was drastically increased.     

Fabrication of gold nano- and microstructures in ionic liquids--a remarkable anion effect

Gold nano- and microstructures such as polyhedral crystals, large single-crystalline nanoplates, hollow trapeziform crystals, holey polyhedra, and dendrites were produced via microwave heating of HAuCl(4).4H(2)O in a variety of ionic liquids (ILs) in the absence of capping agents (polymers or surfactants) or additional reducing agents. The influence of the IL anions and cations on the topology (size, shape, etc.) of gold materials was studied in detail. The anions of the ILs control the topology of materials, whereas the cations used in the experiments exert less influence. It was also found that the HAuCl(4) concentration, reaction temperature, and heating method are key parameters that help to control the topological structures of the gold materials. For example, the thickness of the large single-crystalline nanoplates could be adjusted from 16 to 320 nm by varying the HAuCl(4) concentration and reaction temperature. This easy synthetic approach to gold nano- and microstructures is a seedless, one-step, fast, template-free route that shows good reproducibility and may be further developed to produce other types of metal nanostructures that satisfy specific applications.