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Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis
Published on: July 10, 2021
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Purposefully Designed Surfactants for Facile and Controllable Gold Colloidal Nanocrystal Synthesis
Nakara Bhawawet1, Luis Polo-Parada2,3, Piyuni Ishtaweera4
1Department of Chemistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
ACS Omega
|November 16, 2023
Summary
New cationic surfactants, CBDEB and DBDEB, enable rapid, controllable synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). HBDEB shows potential as a biocompatible surfactant with improved cell viability.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Cationic surfactants are crucial in nanomaterial synthesis.
- Developing efficient and controllable synthesis methods for gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is an ongoing area of research.
- There is a need for biocompatible surfactants in various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize novel cationic surfactants for gold nanoparticle synthesis.
- To investigate the efficacy of these surfactants as dual-action reducing and capping agents.
- To evaluate the cytotoxicity and potential biological applications of the synthesized surfactants.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of three new cationic surfactants: N-cetyl-bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)ether bromide (CBDEB), N-dodecyl-bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)ether bromide (DBDEB), and N-hexyl-bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)ether bromide (HBDEB).
- Aqueous synthesis of AuNPs using CBDEB and DBDEB with HAuCl4 salt, involving heating at 80 °C for 4 minutes or microwave irradiation for 30 seconds.
- Cytotoxicity evaluation of the surfactants and assessment of AuNP size and shape control through parameter tuning.
Main Results:
- CBDEB and DBDEB facilitated rapid and controllable aqueous synthesis of spherical AuNPs with average diameters of 13.4 ± 3.8 nm and 12.0 ± 3.8 nm, respectively.
- AuNP synthesis time was reduced to 30 seconds using microwave irradiation.
- Control over AuNP size and shape was achieved by adjusting reaction parameters and using Cu2+ as a shape control agent.
- CBDEB exhibited cytotoxicity similar to CTAB, while HBDEB showed improved cell viability, suggesting potential as a biological surfactant.
Conclusions:
- Novel cationic surfactants CBDEB and DBDEB are effective for facile and rapid synthesis of gold nanoparticles.
- The synthesis method offers control over AuNP characteristics and can be accelerated using microwave irradiation.
- HBDEB presents a promising alternative for biological applications due to its improved cell viability compared to traditional surfactants.
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