A Facile One-Pot Synthesis of Hydroxyl-Functionalized Gold Polyhedrons by a Surface Regulating Copolymer

We report a simple, one-pot process for hydroxyl-functionalized gold nanocrystals with precise morphology control by a surface regulating copolymer. The copolymer, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone-ranvinyl acetate) (PVP-PVAc), has two distinct moieties including pyrrolidone for nanoparticle formation and acetate for additional functionalization. The particle sizes are readily controlled in the range of 35-80 nm by changing the solvent volume, and the shapes are tuned from octahedral to cuboctahedral and cubic by the addition of AgNO3. Concomitantly, hydrolysis of the acetate groups during the reaction generates multiple hydroxyl groups on the particle surface, which can readily conjugate with versatile functionalities through esterification. This copolymer-based process achieves the synthesis, morphology control, and functionalization of gold nanocrystals via a one-step reaction, as this is superior to the other multistep synthetic procedures.