Title: Time optimization of seed-mediated gold nanotriangle synthesis based on kinetic studies

Abstract

Plasmonic nanoparticles have become important materials due to their special optical properties and development of optic and photonic technologies. In various application fields (e.g. plasmonic sensor technology) the shape anisotropic nanoparticles are of vast interest. That makes the synthesis of such structures to appear frequently in the focus of research. We report the kinetic studies of the gold nanotriangle synthesis. In situ measurement of the reaction mixture UV-Vis properties was utilized as a powerful tool for monitoring the evolution of synthesis at each step. The obtained data, in combination with the knowledge of occurring chemical processes, allowed to rationally determine the time intervals required for successful reproduction of the procedure and shortening it from three days to one. The samples synthesized with following each protocol were evaluated with UV Vis spectroscopy and SEM imaging. Analysis of the obtained data revealed no significant differences in such quality characteristics as shape yield and size distribution. Besides the practical interest of time consumption optimizing, this study represents an example of how characterization approaches can be utilized to determine the critical durations of key synthesis steps in order to improve the efficiency of nanoparticle production.