Templated biomineralization of Au nanoplates under bovine serum albumin Langmuir monolayers

Au nanoplates were generated by spontaneous reduction of chloroaurate ions (AuCl4−) under bovine serum albumin (BSA) Langmuir monolayers at room temperature. The structure of the resulting Au particulates was analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results showed that BSA provided dual functions for both reducing Au3+ ions and directing anisotropic growth of Au particles into plate-like structure as well. Amorphous Au particulates were obtained firstly in a relatively short reaction time, and then anisotropic Au nanoparticles were generated at extended reaction durations. The triangular Au nanoplates oriented along (1 1 1) basal planes were obtained via the reduction of chloroaurate ions by BSA with a relatively longer reaction duration. The present research provides a biological route to produce single-crystalline gold nanoplates with a wide variety of applications, and it also verifies that the interaction between protein/peptide and gold ions/surface may be used advantageously for green chemical synthesis of nanogold. Hopefully, this would contribute to promote genuine green biomimetic synthesis of nanomaterials with prescribed geometrical features where rationally designed multifunctional peptides are preferred.