Phase transfer of aqueous gold nanoparticles to non-polar hexanes

• Main Author: Loh, Quek Khim.
• Other Authors: Xue Can
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Chemistry::Physical chemistry::Colloids
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/35518
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this report, we put efforts in studying the phase transfer of aqueous gold nanoparticles (NPs) to non-polar hexanes. Initially, with sodium citrate and gold (III) chloride tri-hydrate (HAuCl4) as the starting reactants, gold NPs have been first successfully synthesized by the citrate reduction method by the reduction of gold, HAuCl4 with sodium citrate in water. Sodium citrate plays an important role in the synthesis process of gold NPs. By controlling the ratio of citrate to HAuCl4, the particle size can be altered; gold NPs, in diameter size of 10-nm and 30-nm are obtained respectively. Then, the phase transfer of these gold NPs from water to non-polar hexanes were carried out using sodium oleate as the surfactant. The resulting gold NPs before and after phase transfer to hexanes was characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the phase transfer process, it is observed that the UV-Vis spectra and TEM images of the gold NPs were much similar in water and non-polar hexanes.