Useful gold nanochemistry from paper

Abstract

The paper (a typical nanoparticle support scaffold) is generally considered to be chemically inert and their inherent capabilities to self-generate nanoparticles have been largely overlooked. Here we present our experimental findings on the use of simple paper as a versatile green nanochemical reactor. We find that gold nanoparticles can be massively formed in paper in the absence of any externally added reducing agent or applied charge. Employing only an aqueous chloroauric solution under rather mild pH condition on paper at room temperature, this method is capable of efficiently fabricating supported nanoparticles. The flexible application of the paper-supported nanoparticles in opto-functional or catalytic frameworks is also illustrated.