Gold and silver nanorings formed at the air/water interface

Gold nanorings were prepared at the air/water interface through reduction of AuCl4− ions by UV-light irradiation or formaldehyde gas treatment at room temperature templated by thin films of phthalocyanine derivatives. Silver nanorings were produced at the air/water interface via reduction of Ag+ ions by UV-light irradiation templated by poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) thin films. These nanostructures were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selective-area electron diffractometry (SAED), and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). It was found that the gold nanorings are composed of close-packed nanoplates whose (1 1 0) crystal planes are parallel to the air/water interface; while silver rings are composed of nanoparticles. It is demonstrated that the ring-like aggregates formed by parallel linear supramolecules of the phthalocyanine derivatives and the ring-like structure of PVK supramolecules are responsible for the formation of the gold and silver nanorings, respectively.