TY - JOUR
T1 - Reductant and sequence effects on the morphology and catalytic activity of peptide-capped Au nanoparticles
AU - Briggs, Beverly D.
AU - Li, Yue
AU - Swihart, Mark T.
AU - Knecht, Marc R.
PY - 2015/4/29
Y1 - 2015/4/29
N2 - The use of peptides as capping ligands for materials synthesis has been widely explored. The ambient conditions of bio-inspired syntheses using molecules such as peptides represent an attractive route for controlling the morphology and activity of nanomaterials. Although various reductants can be used in such syntheses, no comprehensive comparison of the same bio-based ligand with different reductants has been reported. In this contribution, peptides AuBP1, AuBP2, and Pd4 are used in the synthesis of Au nanoparticles. The reductant strength is varied by using three different reducing agents: NaBH4, hydrazine, and ascorbic acid. These changes in reductant produce significant morphological differences in the final particles. The weakest reductant, ascorbic acid, yields large, globular nanoparticles with rough surfaces, whereas the strongest reductant, NaBH4, yields small, spherical, smooth nanomaterials. Studies of 4-nitrophenol reduction using the Au nanoparticles as catalysts reveal a decrease in activation energy for the large, globular, rough materials relative to the small, spherical, smooth materials. These studies demonstrate that modifying the reductant is a simple way to control the activity of peptide-capped nanoparticles.
AB - The use of peptides as capping ligands for materials synthesis has been widely explored. The ambient conditions of bio-inspired syntheses using molecules such as peptides represent an attractive route for controlling the morphology and activity of nanomaterials. Although various reductants can be used in such syntheses, no comprehensive comparison of the same bio-based ligand with different reductants has been reported. In this contribution, peptides AuBP1, AuBP2, and Pd4 are used in the synthesis of Au nanoparticles. The reductant strength is varied by using three different reducing agents: NaBH4, hydrazine, and ascorbic acid. These changes in reductant produce significant morphological differences in the final particles. The weakest reductant, ascorbic acid, yields large, globular nanoparticles with rough surfaces, whereas the strongest reductant, NaBH4, yields small, spherical, smooth nanomaterials. Studies of 4-nitrophenol reduction using the Au nanoparticles as catalysts reveal a decrease in activation energy for the large, globular, rough materials relative to the small, spherical, smooth materials. These studies demonstrate that modifying the reductant is a simple way to control the activity of peptide-capped nanoparticles.
KW - Au nanoparticles
KW - bio-inspired synthesis
KW - catalysis
KW - peptides
KW - reductant
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84928807274&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84928807274&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsami.5b01461
DO - 10.1021/acsami.5b01461
M3 - Article
C2 - 25839335
AN - SCOPUS:84928807274
VL - 7
SP - 8843
EP - 8851
JO - ACS applied materials & interfaces
JF - ACS applied materials & interfaces
SN - 1944-8244
IS - 16
ER -