Interfacial redox mediation by amine/alkyne-functionalized silicon nanoparticles: surfactant-free gold nanoparticle synthesis

Authors

• Amber L. Garcia, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Brittany Griggs, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Brian S. Mitchell, Tulane University
• Mark J. Fink, Tulane University
• Julie P. Vanegas, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Abstract

We develop a surfactant-free synthesis method for gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using 2-propynylamine-functionalized silicon nanoparticles as integrated redox-active supports. Surface-anchored amine groups act as built-in reducing sites for Au³⁺ precursors at the hexane–water interface under ambient conditions, enabling in situ AuNP nucleation and growth. Time-resolved UV-vis spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering track the emergence of plasmonic AuNPs, while quantitative morphology analysis reveals a final population dominated by spherical and near-spherical nanoparticles (∼74%), with faceted polyhedral structures (∼4%) and dendritic, hollow, irregular, and rod-like morphologies (∼22%) as minority species. The temporal evolution proceeds from early dendritic and irregular aggregates to a later-stage ensemble in which small spherical particles dominate numerically, whereas larger faceted structures persist as a minor but visually prominent component. Control experiments with unfunctionalized silicon, amine-functionalized silica, or free ligand alone do not yield AuNPs, underscoring the cooperative role of the semiconductor core and grafted primary amine ligands in mediating interfacial electron transfer. This ligand-enabled strategy provides a scalable route to surfactant-free AuNPs and Au–Si hybrids with potential applications in plasmonic sensing, catalysis, and biomedicine.

Comments

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry

Licensed under CC-BY 4.0

Recommended Citation

Garcia, Amber L., Brittany Griggs, Brian S. Mitchell, Mark J. Fink, and Julie P. Vanegas. 2026. “Interfacial Redox Mediation by Amine/Alkyne-Functionalized Silicon Nanoparticles: Surfactant-Free Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis.” Nanoscale Advances, ahead of print, July 1. https://doi.org/10.1039/d6na00512h.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Nanoscale Advances

DOI

10.1039/d6na00512h