Buildup of gold nanoparticle multilayer thin films based on the covalent-bonding interaction between boronic acids and polyols

A novel method for the fabrication of gold nanoparticle multilayer films based on the covalent-bonding interaction between boronic acid and polyols, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), was developed. The multilayer buildup was monitored by UV–vis absorbance spectroscopy, which showed a linear increase of the film absorbance with the number of adsorbed Au layers and indicated the stepwise and uniform assembling process. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) image showed that a compact gold multilayer thin film was successfully assembled. The residual boronic acid group on the surface of thin film could incorporate glycosylated-protein horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and good catalytic activity for H2O2 could be observed.