Effects of PVP and KCl concentrations on the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using a solution plasma processing

Application of plasma in an aqueous environment, so called Solution Plasma Processing (SPP) is a recent development. Solution plasma processing for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles by reducing HAuCl₄ in the presence of Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and potassium chloride (KCl) was investigated in this work. Effects of PVP and KCl concentrations on the size and the shape of the gold nanoparticles in SPP were studied using a UV-vis nir spectrophotometer, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results showed that the shape and size of the nanoparticles were affected by various KCl and PVP concentrations. The average particle size of the gold nanoparticles synthesized by SPP decreased with an increase in PVP concentration and the particle shape became more spherical with the addition of KCl. The HRTEM results indicated that gold nanoparticles with a diameter less than 10 nm were single crystals, while particles with a diameter greater than 15 nm were polycrystalline.