Aqueous-phase room-temperature synthesis of gold nanoribbons: Soft template effect of a gemini surfactant

Gold (Au) nanoribbons were synthesized in aqueous phase under ambient conditions by using dimethylene bis(tetradecyldimethyl-ammonium bromide) (14-2-14) as a capping agent as well as a soft template. A two steps seed-growth (S-G) method was used. The first step of S-G method mainly gave nanorods of high aspect ratio along with nanoparticles of other shapes, but the next step produced mainly fine An nanoribbons of several micrometers long, 50-150 nm wide, and approximate to 5 nm thick. They were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Isotropic liquid crystalline phase of 14-2-14 provided a soft template effect and derived nanorods of high aspect ratios toward nanoribbon formation at room temperature.