New one-pot approach towards gold nanorods and nanowires: a parametric study of gold halide/lithium tert-butoxide systems.

Various gold nanomaterials are successful obtained using a mild and simple chemical approach, involving the use of gold halide and lithium tert-butoxide in organic solvents. It was found that the presence of bromide ions in a polar solvent is required to produce faceted gold nanoparticles such as nanorods/nanowires. The parametric study of the system AuBr3 in presence of lithium tert-butoxide in THF points out that the ratio [gold salt]/[alkoxide] has a strong influence on the formation of nanorods/nanowires. Moreover, the effect of additives such as AuCI, Aul and LiBr was also explored. Finally, nanoparticles morphology and formation are discussed in regard to the composition of reaction media.