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 nanoerystals with precise morphology control by a surface regulating copolymer. The copolymer, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone-ran-vinyl 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.