One-step seeded growth of monodisperse, quasi-spherical, Tris-stabilized gold nanocrystals with sizes from 17 to 325 nm

Abstract

We present a rapid, simple, and efficient strategy for high yield synthesis of monodisperse, quasi-spherical Au nanocrystals (Au NCs) via a one-step seeded method at room temperature. Au NCs ranging from 17 nm to 325 nm can be synthesized by adjusting the amount of the Au seeds at a fixed amount of HAuCl₄. It is found that the stabilizing agent, Tris-base (TB), not only suppressed the secondary nucleation during the reaction, but also influenced the morphology of Au NCs, showing a significant effect on the synthesis of Au NCs. Furthermore, high quality Au NCs can also be yielded on a large scale by expanding the amount of the precursors with the same proportion as the previous reaction solution. Moreover, Au NCs show size-dependent surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties.