A new method for the synthesis of hydrophobic gold nanotapes

Protocols for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles are increasingly focusing on controlling the morphology of the nanocrystals. We demonstrate in this article the facile, one-step synthesis of gold nanotapes that are readily dispersible in organic media. This is accomplished by the spontaneous reduction of aqueous chloroaurate ions by hexadecylaniline molecules present in chloroform at the static interface between water and chloroform. The hexadecylaniline molecules cap the gold nanotapes thus formed, rendering them hydrophobic and dispersible in a range on nonpolar and weakly polar organic solvents. Possible reasons for the growth of gold nanotapes are discussed.