Adsorption mechanism of water molecules surrounding Au nanoparticles of different sizes

Molecular dynamic simulation is used to investigate the adsorption mechanism of water molecules surrounding Au nanoparticles with different sizes. Our results show that the adsorption mechanism of the water molecules in the first water shell will be influenced by the size of the Au nanoparticle. For the larger Au nanoparticles, the hydrogen bonding of water molecules adsorbed on the surface of the Au nanoparticles are arranged in a two-dimensional structure, while those adsorbed on the edge of the surface of the Au nanoparticles are arranged in a three-dimensional structure. However, in the case of the smallest Au nanoparticle, the hydrogen bonding of the water molecules on the first adsorbed layer are arranged only in a three-dimensional structure. The arrangement of the water molecules in the first water shell can be determined by orientation order parameter. The water molecules that adsorb on the larger Au nanoparticles tend to arrange in an irregular arrangement, while those adsorbed on the smallest Au nanoparticle tend to arrange a regular arrangement. Interestingly, the water molecules adsorbed on the smallest nanoparticle are arranged in a bulklike structure in the first shell.     

金核银壳纳米粒子薄膜的制备及SERS活性研究

采用柠檬酸化学还原法制备金溶胶, 通过自组装技术在石英片表面制备金纳米粒子薄膜, 在银增强剂混合溶液中反应获得金核银壳纳米粒子薄膜. 用紫外-可见吸收光谱仪和原子力显微镜(AFM)研究了不同条件下制备的金核银壳纳米粒子薄膜的光谱特性和表面形貌, 并以结晶紫为探针分子测量了金核银壳纳米粒子薄膜的表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS). 结果表明, 金纳米粒子薄膜的分布、银增强剂反应时间的长短对金核银壳纳米粒子薄膜的形成均有重要影响. 制备过程中, 可以通过控制反应条件获得一定粒径的、具有良好表面增强拉曼散射活性的金核银壳纳米粒子薄膜.     

Gold-Titanium(IV) Oxide Plasmonic Photocatalysts Prepared by a Colloid-Photodeposition Method: Correlation Between Physical Properties and Photocatalytic Activities

Colloidal gold (Au) nanoparticles were prepared and successfully loaded on titanium(IV) oxide (TiO(2)) without change in the original particle size using a method of colloid photodeposition operated in the presence of a hole scavenger (CPH). The prepared Au nanoparticles supported on TiO(2) showed strong photoabsorption at around 550 nm due to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Au and exhibited a photocatalytic activity in mineralization of formic acid in aqueous suspensions under irradiation of visible light (>ca. 520 nm). A linear correlation between photocatalytic activity and the amount of Au loaded, that is, the number of Au nanoparticles, was observed, indicating that the activity of Au/TiO(2) plasmonic photocatalysts can be controlled simply by the amount of Au loading using the CPH method and that the external surface area of Au nanoparticles is a decisive factor in mineralization of formic acid under visible light irradiation. Very high reaction rates were obtained in samples with 5 wt % Au or more, although the rate tended to be saturated. The CPH method can be widely applied for loading of Au nanoparticles on various TiO(2) supports without change in the original size independent of the TiO(2) phase. The rate of CO(2) formation also increased linearly with increase in the external surface area of Au. Interestingly, the TiO(2) supports showed different slopes of the plots. The slope is important for selection of TiO(2) as a material supporting colloidal Au nanoparticles.     

Size‐Controlled Synthesis of Highly Monodisperse Gold Nanoparticles without a Size‐Selection and Long Range Ordered 2‐D Arrangement

A simple method is used to control the size of cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide‐protected Au nanoparticles by a reversal micelle in safe organic solvent. These Au nanoparticles can be evolved to highly monodisperse Au nanoparticles capped 1‐dodecanthiol in the 2, 3, and 5 nm diameter by refluxing at～160°C for 7 hours. Their ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV‐vis), x‐ray diffraction (XRD, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that all the three different size gold nanoparticles(NPs) displayed high size homogenous properties and easy formed large areas of long ordered two‐dimensional arrangement at the air/solid interface.     

Synthesis of aqueous Au core-Ag shell nanoparticles using tyrosine as a pH-dependent reducing agent and assembling phase-transferred silver nanoparticles at the air-water interface

We demonstrate that the amino acid tyrosine is an excellent reducing agent under alkaline conditions and may be used to reduce Ag+ ions to synthesize stable silver nanoparticles in water. The tyrosine-reduced silver nanoparticles may be separated out as a powder that is readily redispersible in water. The silver ion reduction at high pH occurs due to ionization of the phenolic group in tyrosine that is then capable of reducing Ag+ ions and is in turn converted to a semi-quinone structure. These silver nanoparticles can easily be transferred to chloroform containing the cationic surfactant octadecylamine by an electrostatic complexation process. The now hydrophobic silver nanoparticles may be spread on the surface of water and assembled into highly ordered, linear superstructures that could be transferred as multilayers onto suitable supports by the versatile Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Further, tyrosine molecules bound to the surface of Au nanoparticles through amine groups in the amino acid may be used to selectively reduce silver ions at high pH on the surface of the Au nanoparticles, thus leading to a simple strategy for realizing phase-pure Au core-Ag shell nanostructures.     

尺寸比例可调的Au-Ni双金属纳米颗粒的制备

本文采用贵金属诱导还原法制备了一种Ni端尺寸可调的Au-Ni双金属纳米颗粒.该反应以十八胺为还原剂,硝酸镍和氯金酸为反应物,反应中Au3+首先被还原成Au0,随着温度上升,Ni2+从Au0获得电子而被还原成Ni0,十八胺持续提供电子,得到了雪人状的Au-Ni双金属纳米颗粒.采用I2/KI水溶液和0.5%(质量分数)盐酸分别对Au端和Ni端进行择性蚀刻,通过调节蚀刻时间,连续调控两端尺寸,可以达到完全刻蚀,最终制备了一种两端尺寸比例连续可调的Au-Ni双金属纳米颗粒.蚀刻后得到的新鲜表面为进一步功能复合提供了反应场所.     

链霉亲和素-异硫氰酸荧光素偶联核壳型Fe_3O_4/Au纳米晶的合成及性质

采用改进的Polyol合成法,以PEO-PPO-PEO为表面活性剂制备了链霉亲和素-异硫氰酸荧光素偶联的Fe3O4/Au纳米粒子;利用透射电镜和X射线衍射仪分析证实了Fe3O4/Au的核壳型纳米结构,确定了其粒径和分布;采用紫外-可见吸收光谱仪和荧光光谱仪测定了所制备的纳米粒子的光学活性和荧光特性,并采用振动样品磁强计(VSM)测量了其磁化率.结果表明,所制备的Fe3O4/Au纳米粒子具有光学活性和荧光特性,以及优异的磁性.     

Computer simulation of the assembly of gold nanoparticles on DNA fragments via electrostatic interaction

Using Monte Carlo simulation, we study the metallization of DNA fragments via the templating of gold nanoparticles. To represent the interaction between metal entities, a nanoparticle-nanoparticle interaction potential was derived on the basis of the many-body Gupta potential. The aggregation of the nanoparticles on the template surface is due to the additive effect of electrostatic attraction between the positive charges on the Au particles and the negative charges of the phosphate groups of DNA molecule and the short-range attraction between the metallic nanoparticles. As a result, the assembly of a continuous nanowire can be templated. Depending on the nanoparticle size and charge, the metallic covering can be both continuous and discontinuous. The question of how size and charge of Au nanoparticles influence the structure of metallic coat is discussed in detail. Both monodisperse and polydisperse nanoparticles are considered. Dispersion in the nanoparticle size was found to have little effect on the calculated characteristics of the aggregate.     

Designing the Hotspots Distribution by Anisotropic Growth

Changing the morphology of noble metal nanoparticles and polarization dependence of nanoparticles with different morphologies is an important part of further research on surface plasma enhancement. Therefore, we used the method based on Matlab simulation to provide a simple and effective method for preparing the morphologies of Au nanoparticles with different morphologies, and prepared the structure of Au nanoparticles with good uniformity and different morphologies by oblique angle deposition (OAD) technology. The change of the surface morphology of nanoparticles from spherical to square to diamond can be effectively controlled by changing the deposition angle. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method was used to simulate the electromagnetic fields of Au nanoparticles with different morphologies to explore the polarization dependence of nanoparticles with different shapes, which was in good agreement with Raman spectrum.     

Effect of surface ligands on gold nanocatalysts for CO2 reduction

Nanoparticle catalysts display optimal mass activity due to their high surface to volume ratio and tunable size and structure. However, control of nanoparticle size requires the presence of surface ligands, which significantly influence catalytic performance. In this work, we investigate the effect of dodecanethiol on the activity, selectivity, and stability of Au nanoparticles for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO₂R). Results show that dodecanethiol on Au nanoparticles significantly enhances selectivity and stability with minimal loss in activity by acting as a CO₂-permeable membrane, which blocks the deposition of metal ions that are otherwise responsible for rapid deactivation. Although dodecanethiol occupies 90% or more of the electrochemical active surface area, it has a negligible effect on the partial current density to CO, indicating that it specifically does not block the active sites responsible for CO₂R. Further, by preventing trace ion deposition, dodecanethiol stabilizes CO production on Au nanoparticles under conditions where CO₂R selectivity on polycrystalline Au rapidly decays to zero. Comparison with other surface ligands and nanoparticles shows that this effect is specific to both the chemical identity and the surface structure of the dodecanethiol monolayer. To demonstrate the potential of this catalyst, CO₂R was performed in electrolyte prepared from ambient river water, and dodecanethiol-capped Au nanoparticles produce more than 100 times higher CO yield compared to clean polycrystalline Au at identical potential and similar current.

Dodecanethiol on Au nanoparticles significantly enhances selectivity and stability with minimal loss in activity by acting as a CO₂-permeable membrane, which blocks the deposition of metal ions that are otherwise responsible for rapid deactivation.     

Polyelectrolyte-templated synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles

Bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) are known to exhibit enhanced optical and catalytic properties that can be optimized by tailoring NP composition, size, and morphology. Galvanic deposition of a second metal onto a primary metal NP template is a versatile method for fabricating bimetallic NPs using a scalable, solution-based synthesis. We demonstrate that the galvanic displacement reaction pathway can be controlled through appropriate surface modification of the NP template. To synthesize bimetallic Au-Ag NPs, we used colloidal Ag NPs modified by layer-by-layer (LBL) assembled polyelectrolyte layers to template the reduction of HAuCl(4). NPs terminated with positively and negatively charged polyelectrolytes yield highly contrasting morphologies and Au surface concentrations. We propose that these charged surface layers control galvanic charge transfer by controlling nucleation and diffusion at the deposition front. This surface-directed synthetic strategy can be advantageously used to tailor both overall NP morphology and Au surface concentrations.     

Fabrication of electroactive layer-by-layer films of myoglobin with gold nanoparticles of different sizes

Alternate adsorption of oppositely charged myoglobin (Mb) and gold nanoparticles with different sizes were used to assemble {Au/Mb}n layer-by-layer films on solid surfaces by electrostatic interaction between them. The direct electrochemistry of Mb was realized in {Au/Mb}n films at pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrodes, showing a pair of well-defined, nearly reversible cyclic voltammetry (CV) peaks for the Mb heme FeIII/FeII redox couple. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and CV were used to monitor or confirm the growth of the films. Compared with other Mb layer-by-layer films with nonconductive nanoparticles or polyions, {Au/Mb}n films showed much improved properties, such as smaller electron-transfer resistance (Rct) measured by EIS with Fe(CN)3-/4- redox probe, higher maximum surface concentration of electroactive Mb (Gamma*max), and better electrocatalytic activity toward reduction of O2 and H2O2, mainly because of the good conductivity of Au nanoparticles. Because of the high biocompatibility of Au nanoparticles, adsorbed Mb in the films retained its near native structure and biocatalytic activity. The size effect of Au nanoparticles on the electrochemical and electrocatalytic activity of Mb in {Au/Mb}n films was investigated, demonstrating that the {Au/Mb}n films assembled with smaller-sized Au nanoparticles have smaller Rct, higher Gamma*max, and better biocatalytic reactivity than those with larger size.     

Facile synthesis of gold nanoparticles with narrow size distribution by using AuCl or AuBr as the precursor

Gold(I) halides, including AuCl and AuBr, were employed for the first time as precursors in the synthesis of Au nanoparticles. The synthesis was accomplished by dissolving Au(I) halides in chloroform in the presence of alkylamines, followed by decomposition at 60 degrees C. The relative low stability of the Au(I) halides and there derivatives eliminated the need for a reducing agent, which is usually required for Au(III)-based precursors to generate Au nanoparticles. Controlled growth of Au nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution was achieved when AuCl and oleylamine were used for the synthesis. FTIR and mass spectra revealed that a complex, [AuCl(oleylamine)], was formed through coordination between oleylamine and AuCl. Thermolysis of the complex in chloroform led to the formation of dioleylamine and Au nanoparticles. When oleylamine was replaced with octadecylamine, much larger nanoparticles were obtained due to the lower stability of [AuCl(octadecylamine)] complex relative to [AuCl(oleylamine)]. Au nanoparticles can also be prepared from AuBr through thermolysis of the [AuBr(oleylamine)] complex. Due to the oxidative etching effect caused by Br(-), the nanoparticles obtained from AuBr exhibited an aspect ratio of 1.28, in contrast to 1.0 for the particles made from AuCl. Compared to the existing methods for preparing Au nanoparticles through the reduction of Au(III) compounds, this new approach based on Au(I) halides offers great flexibility in terms of size control.     

CeO2@Au核壳结构纳米粒子的合成与性质研究

采用沉淀法制备了球形CeO2纳米粒子,将其作为核粒子溶液,然后向其中滴加四氯合金酸溶液,在CeO2胶体表面利用柠檬酸钠还原[AuCl4]-离子,得到了CeO2@Au核壳结构纳米粒子。TEM分析表明,CeO2纳米粒子分散效果好,粒径为5 nm;CeO2@Au核壳粒子为球形,无团聚,平均粒径为15 nm。XRD分析表明,CeO2@Au核壳粒子为晶型结构,属于立方晶系,CeO2空间群为O5H-FM3M,Au的空间群为Fm-3m。UV-vis分析发现,CeO2@Au核壳粒子在300和520 nm处呈现出两个比较强的吸收峰,分别对应于CeO2胶体溶液的吸收峰和金粒子的表面等离子共振吸收峰。EDS分析了核壳结构CeO2@Au纳米粒子中存在Ce,O和Au 3种元素。XPS分析表明,Ce3d3/2和Au4f电子结合能与标准结合能相比发生了变化,说明CeO2与Au之间存在着相互作用。     

结合化学组装和电沉积的SERS基底的制备方法

采用一种结合化学组装和电化学沉积制备均匀而且具有强SERS基底的方法, 研究了沉积电位对组装在ITO表面的金纳米粒子形貌的影响, 发现在-0.04 V下沉积5 min可以得到形貌均匀的纳米粒子. 利用现场电化学紫外-可见吸收光谱来监控电化学沉积过程, 发现沉积一定时间后, 紫外-可见吸收谱在600~700 nm区间出现新峰, 表明粒子间发生了有效的电磁场耦合. 对制备的基底进行拉曼成像, 结果表明, 基底的均匀性很好, 最强点与最弱点的d信号差小于20%, 符合商品化基底的要求.     

The role of pore size and structure on the thermal stability of gold nanoparticles within mesoporous silica

Highly dispersed gold particles (<2 nm) were synthesized within the pores of mesoporous silica with pore sizes ranging from 2.2 to 6.5 nm and different pore structures (2D-hexagonal, 3D-hexagonal, and cubic). The catalysts were reduced in flowing H2 at 200 degrees C and then used for CO oxidation at temperatures ranging from 25 to 400 degrees C. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of pore size and structure in controlling the thermal sintering of Au nanoparticles. Our study shows that sintering of Au particles is dependent on pore size, pore wall thickness (strength of pores), and pore connectivity. A combination of high-resolution TEM/STEM and SEM was used to measure the particle size distribution and to determine whether the Au particles were located within the pores or had migrated to the external silica surface.     

An in situ quick XAFS spectroscopy study on the formation mechanism of small gold nanoparticles supported by porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivants

We previously reported that a porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivant, which has two disulfide straps over one face of the porphyrin plane, can produce monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles, 2-4 nm in size, by the one-pot reduction of HAuCl(4) in DMF. The resulting nanoparticles are smaller than those prepared using the same S/Au molar ratio of a monodentate passivant. To examine the formation mechanism of small gold nanoparticles, the formation of gold nanoparticles in the presence of porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivants or a structurally related monodentate passivant was studied by time-resolved quick X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that all of Au ions in solution are reduced to compose small Au clusters, i.e. nuclei, just after the NaBH(4) reduction of HAuCl(4) in both cases, but their size varied with the initial S/Au molar ratios and structure of the passivants. Thus, the size of Au nuclei was kinetically controlled by the passivants. Interestingly, the porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivant could stabilize smaller gold nanoparticles, 2-4 nm in size, but it was less efficient in trapping the Au nuclei formed at a very early stage, in comparison to the monodentate passivant.     

pH敏感的金纳米颗粒的制备及表征

利用立方硅氧烷(odaaps)作为保护剂合成了金纳米颗粒,利用紫外-可见(UV-vis)吸收光谱、透射电镜(TEM)对纳米颗粒进行了表征。通过改变纳米溶胶的pH值,从而改变立方硅氧烷上羧基的存在形式,控制纳米颗粒表面的电荷,实现金纳米颗粒的可逆聚集与分散;当将其pH值降低至2.5时,颗粒能够完全沉淀,加碱调节其pH与原始值(pH=9)一致时,聚集的颗粒会自动重新分散形成溶胶,其具有与起始一致的高分散性。     

半乳糖保护的Au纳米颗粒的制备及性能研究

通过一种简易的方法,利用D-半乳糖胺和氯金酸制备出了能够用于肝癌细胞靶向识别的Au纳米颗粒探针.该纳米颗粒形貌和尺寸均一并且生物相容性良好.通过改变反应体系的pH能够对Au纳米颗粒的尺寸进行调控.此外,这种新型的纳米颗粒对RCA120还具有超高的检测灵敏度,实验结果显示其检测限度可以达到2μg·L^-1.     

Shape-controlled synthesis of highly monodisperse and small size gold nanoparticles

We describe here that fine control of nanoparticle shape and size can be achieved by systematic varia-tion of experimental parameters in the seeded growth procedure in aqueous solution. Cubic and spherical gold nanoparticles are obtained respectively. In particularly, the Au cubes are highly mono-disperse in 33±2 nm diameter. The experimental methods involve the preparation of Au seed particles and the subsequent addition of an appropriate quantity of Au seed solution to the aqueous growth solutions containing desired quantities of CTAB and ascorbic acid (AA). Here, AA is a weak reducing agent and CTAB is not only a stable agent for nanoparticles but also an inductive agent for leading increase in the face of nanoparticle. Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to characterize the nanoparticles. The results show that the different size gold nanoparticles displayed high size homogenous distribution and formed mono-membrane at the air/solid interface.