Synthesis of gold nanostar using chitosan as reductive agent by the seedless reduction method

Abstract

The gold nanostars (AuNS) were prepared through seedless reductive method by using the natural biodegradable polymer chitosan acting both as the stabilizing and shape-directing agent, ascorbic acid as a reducting agent. This reaction synthesis was carried out at room temperature and facile conditions. In an effort to control the size and shape of AuNS, many experimental parameters were investigated for the thorough understanding the role of chitosan in the formation of gold nanostar. In this novel method, the pH condition and appropriate stabilizer concentration were crucial factors to prepare the well-defined AuNS. The obtained AuNS were characterized by many physical-chemistry analysis method such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The AuNS have an average size of about 55 nm and narrow size distribution when characterized by TEM images. UV-Vis spectroscopy of the gold nanoparticles colloidal solution showed the characteristic peaks at 587-700 nm, corresponding to the surface plasmon resonance of star-shaped nanostructure. The specific interactions between the functional groups of chitosan chain and the as-prepared gold nanostars are analyzed by the FT-IR spectroscopy technique. These results provided insight into the role of biopolymer as both a protecting agent and structure-directing agent. This novel method can overcome previous limitations in controlled synthesis of star-shaped gold nanoparticles such as surfactant use and complex implementation. Besides, the gold nanostars stabilized by chitosan could be a potential material in many applications in the field of biomedical medicine.