PH-tuned synthesis of gold nanoplates using star CD-PDMAEMA

We here report a one-step, wet-chemical approach to synthesizing gold nanoplates from a chloroauric acid precursor at ambient temperature in the absence of additional reductant or energy input by aqueous star homopolymer with ß-cyclodextrin core and poly (2-(diethylamino) ethylmethacrylate) arms (star CD-PDMAEMA), without introducing additional capping agent or surfactant. In this reaction, star CD-PDMAEMA acted as both reducing and directing agents for gold nanoplates. More importantly, star CD-PDMAEMA is a tertiary-amine-containing pH-responsive and water-soluble star homopolymer, which plays important role in the formation of final products. This facile approach may be extended to the synthesis of other metal nanomaterials of different size and shape.