Open AccessSeeded-Growth Experiment Demonstrating Size- and Shape-Dependence on Gold Nanoparticle–Light Interactions
Author(s) -
Gail A. VinnacombeWillson,
Naihao Chiang,
Paul S. Weiss,
Sarah H. Tolbert,
Leonardo Scarabelli
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of chemical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1938-1328
pISSN - 0021-9584
DOI - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c01150
Subject(s) - colloidal gold , nanotechnology , nanoparticle , materials science , characterization (materials science) , reagent , absorption (acoustics) , chemistry , composite material
Gold nanoparticles are exciting materials in nanotechnology and nanoscience research and are being applied across a wide range of fields including imaging, chemical sensing, energy storage, and cancer therapies. In this experiment, students will synthesize two sizes of gold nanospheres (~20 nm and ~100 nm) and will create gold nanostars utilizing a seed-mediated growth synthetic approach. Students will compare how each sample interacts differently with light (absorption and scattering) based on the nanoparticles' size and shape. This experiment is ideal for high-school and early undergraduate students since all reagents are non-toxic, affordable, and no special characterization equipment is required.