A helpful method for controlled synthesis of monodisperse gold nanoparticles through response surface modeling

The interest in applying gold nanoparticles is principally based on their monodispersity. Therefore, the synthesis of monodisperse gold nanocrystals has a key role in designing nanomaterials for their specific application. However, it can represent a cutting edge for many laboratories, mainly because it requires a variety of complex techniques for properly characterizing metal nanoparticles with expensive and rugged equipment. Herein, we propose an approach to synthesize nanoparticles with controlled monodispersity that can be adjusted through the factorial experimental plan 3² using response surface modeling (RSM). The particles were characterized on the basis of visual observation, UV–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and statistics. Our findings illustrate how factorial design is important to providing accurate projections of nanoparticle production using sodium citrate and borohydride as reducers. The proposed method leverages facile and inexpensive routes to synthesize monodisperse gold nanocrystals without the assistance of time-consuming image-based characterization tools.