A University of Florida research team has used gold to grow crystals via light in a process that could widen nanoparticle production for biotechnology. The work, published in Nature Materials, is the first to demonstrate plasmonic synthesis of high-yield gold nanoprisms, according to the team.
Plasmon-driven synthesis grows crystals using light, but conventional methods require silver to control the process. That requirement limits use in biotechnology. "How does light actually play a role in the synthesis? [This knowledge] was not well developed," said David Wei, an associate professor of chemistry who led the research team. "Gold was the model system to demonstrate this."
Gold is more desirable than silver for biological applications because it is malleable, does not react with oxygen, and conducts electricity, the team said. Those properties make gold nanoparticles better suited for use in the human body.
PVP Enables Gold-Based Synthesis
Polyvinylpyrrolidone, or PVP, a substance commonly found in pharmaceutical tablets, enables the use of gold. In plasmon-driven synthesis, PVP allows scientists to better control crystal growth. The research showed PVP can relay light-generated "hot" electrons to a gold surface to grow the crystals.
The team also used visible-range, low-power light as the light source. That detail matters because nanoparticles are already used in solar photovoltaic devices. The combination raises the possibility of harnessing solar energy for chemical synthesis, for making nanomaterials, or for other general applications in chemistry, according to the researchers.
The findings suggest a route to nanoparticle production that avoids silver while using a common pharmaceutical ingredient and low-power visible light. Further work would be needed to translate the approach beyond the laboratory, the source material does not specify next steps.
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