Fox, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-5326-1058, Newham, G. orcid.org/0000-0002-4877-5513, Bushby, R.J. orcid.org/0000-0002-1627-6058 et al. (3 more authors) (2023) Spectrophotometric Analysis and Optimization of 2D Gold Nanosheet Formation. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 127 (6). pp. 3067-3076. ISSN 1932-7447
Abstract
Free-standing, 2D gold nanosheets (AuNS) offer broad potential applications from computing to biosensing and healthcare. Such applications, however, require improved control of material growth. We recently reported the synthesis of AuNS only ∼0.47 nm (two atoms) thick, which exhibited very high catalytic activity. The synthesis is a one-pot, seedless procedure in which chloroauric acid is reduced by sodium citrate in the presence of methyl orange (MO). In this study, we use spectrophotometric analysis and TEM imaging to probe AuNS formation and optimize the procedure. Previously, we suggested that MO acted as the confining agent, directing two-dimensional growth of the gold. Here, we provide the first reported analysis of the HAuCl4 and MO reaction. We show that MO is rapidly oxidized to give 4-diazobenzenesulfonic acid, indicating that a complex interplay between HAuCl4, MO, and other reaction products leads to AuNS formation. Time-resolved studies indicate that synthesis time can be significantly reduced from over 12 to 2-3 h. Decreasing the reaction temperature from 20 to 4 °C improved AuNS yield by 16-fold, and the catalytic activity of the optimized material matches that obtained previously. Our elucidation of AuNS formation mechanisms has opened avenues to further improve and tune the synthesis, enhancing the potential applications of ultrathin AuNS.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Molecular & Nanoscale Physics The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Medical Research (LIMR) > Division of Molecular Medicine |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 30 Jan 2024 11:25 |
Last Modified: | 16 Jan 2025 13:18 |
Published Version: | https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c07582 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c07582 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:208428 |