Surfactant‐Free Shape Control of Gold Nanoparticles Enabled by Unified Theoretical Framework of Nanocrystal Synthesis |
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| Authors: | Matthew A Wall Stefan Harmsen Soumik Pal Lihua Zhang Gianluca Arianna John R Lombardi Charles Michael Drain Moritz F Kircher |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Radiology and Center for Molecular Imaging and Nanotechnology (CMINT), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY, USA;2. Department of Chemistry, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, USA;3. Department of Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;4. Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA;5. Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, City University of New York, NY, USA;6. Department of Chemistry, City College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, USA;7. Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, NY, USA;8. Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA |
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| Abstract: | Gold nanoparticles have unique properties that are highly dependent on their shape and size. Synthetic methods that enable precise control over nanoparticle morphology currently require shape‐directing agents such as surfactants or polymers that force growth in a particular direction by adsorbing to specific crystal facets. These auxiliary reagents passivate the nanoparticles' surface, and thus decrease their performance in applications like catalysis and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering. Here, a surfactant‐ and polymer‐free approach to achieving high‐performance gold nanoparticles is reported. A theoretical framework to elucidate the growth mechanism of nanoparticles in surfactant‐free media is developed and it is applied to identify strategies for shape‐controlled syntheses. Using the results of the analyses, a simple, green‐chemistry synthesis of the four most commonly used morphologies: nanostars, nanospheres, nanorods, and nanoplates is designed. The nanoparticles synthesized by this method outperform analogous particles with surfactant and polymer coatings in both catalysis and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering. |
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| Keywords: | crystal growth gold nanorods nanoparticles shape‐control surfactant‐free |
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