Inhibited and enhanced nucleation of gold nanoparticles at the water|1,2-dichloroethane interface

DOI: 10.1039/c1cp21536a

Authors: Yvonne Grunder (University of Manchester) , Huong L. T. Ho (University of Manchester) , J. Fred W. Mosselmans (Diamond Light Source) , Sven L. M. Schroeder (The University of Manchester) , Robert A. W. Dryfe (University of Manchester)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics , VOL 13 (34) , PAGES 15681-15689

State: Published (Approved)
Published: August 2011
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 4861

Abstract: The deposition of gold at the interface between immiscible electrolyte solutions has been investigated using reduction of tetrachloroaurate or tetrabromoaurate in 1,2-dichloroethane, with aqueous phase hexacyanoferrate as reducing agent. In a clean environment without defects present at the interface, the Au(III) complex was reduced to the Au(I) complex, but no solid phase formation could be observed. A deposition process could only be observed through the addition of artificial nucleation sites in the form of palladium nanoparticles at the interface. This process could be associated with the reduction of the Au(I) halide complex to metallic gold, by determining the gold reduction potentials in 1,2-dichloroethane. XANES measurements indicate that tetrachloroaurate ion transfers intact into the organic phase, with the central Au atom retaining its oxidation state of +3 and the overall anion remaining charged at −1.

Subject Areas: Chemistry, Physics


Instruments: I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy