From a precursor to an etchant: spontaneous inversion of the role of Au(<scp>iii</scp>) chloride for one-pot synthesis of smooth and spherical gold nanoparticles

Abstract

We report the inversion of the role of Au(iii) chloride, from a gold precursor to an etchant, for the synthesis of smooth and spherical AuNPs with nanoscale size tunability in a one-pot-system. Inversion of the role of Au(iii) chloride was achieved by regulating the ratio between the reducing agent and Au(iii) chloride.