Preparation of Gold Crown-Like Nanoparticles by the Seed-Mediated Growth Method

Abstract

The aim of this work is to present results on the preparation of gold crown-like nanoparticles by the seed-mediated growth method, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as a capping agent. By means of this method of synthesis we show that the size and morphology of the nanoparticles can be modified only by varying gold seed amount in the growing solution. The particles generated could range from spheroidal with an average particle size of 24 nm, to crown-like with an average particle size of 60 nm. Due to the capacity of change in size and morphology of the as-synthesized Au nanoparticles, the optical absorption band, a result of the surface plasmon resonance response, can be tuned in the visible-near infrared range. This is very important in terms of the their potential applications, which can cover from biophotonics to solar cells. Gold nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.