Rapid synthesis and structural characterization of well-defined gold clusters by solution plasma sputtering

Ultrafine metal nanoparticles of a few nanometers in diameter exhibit size-dependent photonic and electric properties that are of interest for applications such as biosensors, catalysts, optics, and electronics. Chemical approaches and vacuum metal-vapor-condensation physical techniques were used to successfully synthesize gold nanoparticles. While it is difficult to obtain monodisperse and small sized gold nanoparticles without any reductant and polymer stabilizer or under vacuum conditions, in the present study, multiply twinned and near monodisperse gold clusters of diameter less than 2.0 nm were successfully fabricated for the first time by solution plasma sputtering in liquid nitrogen (LN ₂) without any chemical additions (such as reductant and polymer stabilizer). Gold clusters formed in several microseconds simultaneously with solution plasma sputtering in an open system under atmospheric pressure. Gold clusters are identified to be well crystalline and multitwin-particles (MTPs) by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. No surface plasmon resonance band was detected in the gold cluster aqueous solutions. Such MTPs with special corners and edges would be beneficial for tailoring catalytic properties at the nanoscale. The solution plasma sputtering method will have potential application in the future in the design and mass preparation of various multifunctional metal clusters.