Controlled Synthesis of Gold Nanostructures in HEC-SDS Aqueous Solutions

Single-crystalline gold hexagonal nanoplates were synthesized in hydroxyethyl cellulose- sodium dodecyl sulfate (HEC-SDS) soft clusters aqueous solutions at low temperature. In this route, HEC acted both as the reductant and one of the components of HEC-SDS soft clusters templates. The morphologies of gold nanostructures were remarkably influenced by HAuCl4 concentrations. At HAuCl4 concentration of 0.5 mmol•L-1, only incomplete gold nanoplates appeared; increasing HAuCl4 concentration from 1.0 mmol•L-1 to 2.0 mmol•L-1, the edge length of the nanoplates increased from 200 nm to 500 nm. Additional NaOH could evidently accelerate the reduction rate. Increasing NaOH concentration from 0.1 mmol•L-1 to 0.2 mmol•L-1, the products changed from nanoplates to monodispersed polyhedral nanoparticles.