Researchers at Michigan State University have created a new way to synthesize gold nanoparticles - a discovery currently being featured on the cover of Plasma Processes and Polymers.
A new gas phase plasma method created by Rebecca Anthony, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and PhD student Alborz Izadi, a research assistant in MSU's Plasma & Nanomaterial Laboratory, is opening up additional uses for gold nanoparticles.
"Our method stands out because it is solvent-free and easy to use," Anthony said. "This advancement can be used as a biomedical treatment, like cancer cell elimination, or in advancing sensors and antennae. It can also be used for applications in devices like plasmonics, catalysis, and modified optical absorption," she explained.
Gold nanoparticles are among the oldest forms of engineered nanostructures. Scientists use flow-through plasma synthesis of metallic nanoparticles and nanostructured films because of their relatively narrow size distribution and continuous synthesis. Synthesizing gold nanoparticles in the gas phase eliminates the possibility of contamination in post-synthesis reactions.
The MSU advancement makes gold nanoparticles based on a radiofrequency plasma. Read more on this new method in the scientific journal at: (e1800212).