A novel synthesis approach of gold nanoparticles by amino acids

Monodisperse colloidal particles have attracted much attention not only for their scientific interest but also for many technological applications. However, many kinds of toxic chemicals or solvents are usually involved in the particle preparation process. Recently, anionie surfactants derived from diverse amino acids have been applied to the synthesis of nanosized materials. Amino acid is non-toxic and harmless to the environment or human. These accomplishments have inspired us to use amino acids in preparing materials unique in structure. In this work, we used Lysine to assist the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. Lysine is an essential amino acid in the body. The experimental process of low complexity, and in pure water phase with no organic solvents participate, is consistent with the currently popular green chemistry. The resulting gold nanoparticles were characterized via UV-Vis Spectrometer, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The critical roles of lysine in the formation of Au NPs were investigated based on the experimental results. The influences of the lysine concentration, solution pH value, temperature, and stirring speed on particle size and size distribution are discussed. By employing such an appropriate reduction method and process condition, we can make gold nanoparticles process simplification, non-polluting and has a good size distribution and stability, with the value on the practical application.