Amine-terminated TEG-derived PAMAM dendrimer as template for preparation of gold nanoparticles in water

Abstract

Nano-sized monodisperse gold particles (AuNPs) have received significant attention in the past decade, due to their unique physical properties and good chemical stability, which can lead to a wide variety of potential applications. In this work, TEG-derived PAMAM dendrimers with amine-terminating groups were synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR and FT-IR. These dendrimers were investigated as the templates for preparation of gold nanoparticles through the reduction of HAuCl₄ by NaBH₄ in water. Stable gold nanoparticles with diameters around 10 nm were obtained in the presence of G2.0 – G5.0 dendrimers and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The particle size of the produced AuNPs decreased with increasing dendrimer generations. A dendrimer of higher generation has a rigid structure with many end groups on the surface and may play a powerful role in the growth of the AuNPs, as well as having a solid stabilization effect on the AuNPs.

Keywords

gold nanoparticles / polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer / triethylene glycol (TEG) / interaction