Interactions of zeatin with gold ions and biomimetic formation of gold complexes and nanoparticles

We report here a simple one-pot synthesis for the preparation of gold nanoparticles biomimetically using zeatin nanostructures. Zeatin, a plant phytohormone was self-assembled into nanospheres. Those nanospheres transformed into nanoribbons over a period of time upon formation of zeatin–gold (III) complexes in the presence of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate. Further, upon heating, gold nanoparticles were formed due to mineralization in the presence of zeatin nanofibers. The effect of pH on the self-assembly of zeatin and the formation of gold nanoparticles, was investigated. We also compared the preparation of gold nanoparticles in the presence of zeatin nanoribbons, using a known reducing agent such as hydrazine, which resulted in loss of morphology control and alignment of the gold nanoparticles. Thus zeatin nanoribbons act as templates which allow for size as well as alignment control for the gold nanoparticles. The materials obtained were analyzed using FTIR, absorbance spectroscopy as well as by transmission electron microscopy, EDX, SEM and AFM. The method involved here is a mild, green-synthetic process, which could be used for facile preparation of morphology controlled gold nanoparticles and may open up new avenues for device fabrications for a wide range of applications, particularly in optoelectronics and sensors.