Shape-tailoring and catalytic function of anisotropic gold nanostructures

We report a facile, one-pot, shape-selective synthesis of gold nanoparticles in high yield by the reaction of an aqueous potassium tetrachloroaurate(III) solution with a commercially available detergent. We prove that a commercial detergent can act as a reducing as well as stabilizing agent for the synthesis of differently shaped gold nanoparticles in an aqueous solution at an ambient condition. It is noteworthy that the gold nanoparticles with different shapes can be prepared by simply changing the reaction conditions. It is considered that a slow reduction of the gold ions along with shape-directed effects of the components of the detergent plays a vital function in the formation of the gold nanostructures. Further, the as-prepared gold nanoparticles showed the catalytic activity for the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol in the presence of sodium borohydride at room temperature

Carbon nanotubes: are they dispersed or dissolved in liquids?

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) constitute a novel class of nanomaterials with remarkable applications in diverse domains. However, the main intrincsic problem of CNTs is their insolubility or very poor solubility in most of the common solvents. The basic key question here is: are carbon nanotubes dissolved or dispersed in liquids, specifically in water? When analyzing the scientific research articles published in various leading journals, we found that many researchers confused between "dispersion" and "solubilization" and use the terms interchangeably, particularly when stating the interaction of CNTs with liquids. In this article, we address this fundamental issue to give basic insight specifically to the researchers who are working with CNTs as well asgenerally to scientists who deal with nano-related research domains

<i>N</i>‑Heterocyclic Carbene-Based Conducting Polymer–Gold Nanoparticle Hybrids and Their Catalytic Application

Hybrid nanocomposites of <i>N</i>-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-functionalized conducting polymers (CPs) with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared by concurrent disproportionation and oxidative coupling. The formation of hybrid nanocomposites, NHC-CP/AuNPs, in the simultaneous process was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, and ¹³C solid-state NMR analyses. More importantly, the NHC group played a pivotal role in the dispersion of AuNPs. Further, NHC-CP/AuNPs exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol