Molecular oxygen as a mediator in the electrosynthesis of gold nanoparticles in DMF

•The molecular oxygen mediated electroreduction of Au(I) to Au0 was realized.•The electrolysis was carried out at potential of O2 reduction to O2− in DMF.•PVP was used as a stabilizer of the resulting AuNP.•The shape and the size of AuNP depend on the treatment of the solution after electrolysis.•V-shaped, spherical, polyhedral and hexagonal AuNP were obtained.

The possibility of using of molecular oxygen as a mediator in electrosynthesis of metal nanoparticles by reduction of their ions and complexes in aprotic media was demonstrated by the example of electrosynthesis of gold nanoparticles by reduction of Au(I) in DMF.

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