Synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles adsorbed in methyl cellulose micro fibrils

Methyl cellulose (MC) capped gold nanoparticles are successfully prepared through a simple route. Synthesis is based on the reduction of aqueous HAuCl4.4H2O by hydrogen gas at 85 °C and methyl cellulose has been used as encapsulating agent. Gold nanoparticle so-prepared are characterized by UV-Vis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Methyl cellulose encapsulated gold hydrosol shows broad surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band with maxima at 537 nm along with a broad tail at 635 nm. In accordance with the SPR band, HRTEM micrograph shows two broad distributions of particles, most of them are small and spherical and nearly 25% particles are bigger with uneven shapes.