Interactions of Fluorescein Dye with Spherical and Star Shaped Gold Nanoparticles

UV-vis absorption, FT-IR, steady state fluorescence and fluorescence lifetime measurements were made on Fluorescein dye (Fl dye) molecules in presence of gold nanoparticles of different morphologies: spherical gold nanoparticles (GNP) and star shaped gold nanoparticles (GNS). The experimental observations demonstrate that Fl dye molecules form dimers when adsorbed on nanosurface of spherical gold particles. On the other hand possibly due to lack of adsorption on the surface of GNS the dye molecules were unable to form dimers. The projected tips on the surface of GNS may possibly hinder the dyes to adsorb on the surface of this nanoparticle. From the spectral analysis and measurements of thermodynamic parameters it is inferred that two different types of ground state interactions occur between Fl-dye-GNP and Fl dye-GNS systems. Both the observed negative values of the thermodynamic parameters ΔH and ΔS in the case of the former system predict the possibility of occurrences of hydrogen bonding interactions between two neighboring Fl dye molecules when adsorbed on the nanosurface of GNP. On the other hand in Fl dye-GNS system electrostatic interactions appear to occur, as evidenced from negative ΔH and positive value of ΔS, between the positive charges residing on the tips of the nanoparticles and anionic form of Fl dye. It has been concluded that as the adsorption of organic dyes on solid surfaces is prerequisite for the degradation of dye pollutants, the present experimental observations demonstrate that GNP could be used as a better candidate than GNS in degradation mechanism of the xanthenes dyes.