Electrodeposition of metallic gold clusters at the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface

Abstract

Gold particles have been deposited at an immiscible electrolyte interface by electrochemical reduction of tetraoctylammonium tetrachloroaurate (TOAAuCl4) in 1,2-dichloroethane using potassium hexacyanoferrate(II)[K4Fe(CN)6] in water as the electron-transfer agent. The gold particles are formed at the interface and not in the bulk phases, and their growth was monitored in situ by transmission UV–VIS spectroscopy. The observed spectra have been qualitatively analysed using Mie's theory.