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Anisotropic gold nanoparticles and gold plates biosynthesis using alfalfa extracts

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Abstract

Industrial and medical applications for gold nanoparticles are extensive, yet highly dependent on their chemical and structural properties. Thus, harnessing the size and shape of nanoparticles plays an important role in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Anisotropic polyhedra and nanoplates were biosynthesized via reduction of 3 mM AuCl4 − solution at room temperature. Alfalfa biomass extracts prepared in water and in isopropanol separately were used as reducing agents at pH 3.5 and 3.0, respectively. Nanoparticles observed in the isopropanol extract presented a size range of 30–60 nm, and the morphologies present included 30 nm decahedra and 15 nm icosahedra. Gold nanoplates produced in the water extract were mainly triangular, ranging from 500 nm to 4 μm in size. The resulting nanoparticles and nanoplates can be potentially used in the study of their unique physical properties and for the mechanisms of formation using alfalfa biomass extracts.

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency under Cooperative Agreement Number EF 0830117. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Environmental Protection Agency. This work has not been subjected to EPA review and no official endorsement should be inferred. J.L. Gardea-Torresdey acknowledges the USDA grant # 2008-38422-19138, to the LERR and STARs programs of the UT System and the Dudley family for the Endowed Research Professorship in Chemistry. The authors acknowledge D. Ferrer (UT Austin) for HRTEM support and D. Olmos (UTSA) for SEM and TEM support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    M. O. Montes, J. G. Parsons, J. R. Peralta-Videa & J. L. Gardea-Torresdey

  2. The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA

    A. Mayoral, F. L. Deepak & M. Jose-Yacamán

  3. International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Avda Mestre Jose Veiga, 4715, Braga, Portugal

    F. L. Deepak

  4. Environmental Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    J. L. Gardea-Torresdey

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  1. M. O. Montes
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  2. A. Mayoral
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Correspondence to J. L. Gardea-Torresdey.

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Montes, M.O., Mayoral, A., Deepak, F.L. et al. Anisotropic gold nanoparticles and gold plates biosynthesis using alfalfa extracts. J Nanopart Res 13, 3113–3121 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-011-0230-5

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