Electrostatic-Assembly-Driven Formation of Micrometer-Scale Supramolecular Sheets of (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane(ApTES)-HAuCl4 and Their Subsequent Transformation into Stable APTES Bilayer-Capped Cold Nanoparticles through a Thermal Process

In this letter, we demonstrate for the first time the electrostatically driven assembly of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and HAuCl4 in aqueous media into novel micrometer-scale supramolecular sheets and their subsequent transformation into small, stable APTES bilayer-capped gold nanoparticles through a the process. The nanoparticle formation mechanism is also discussed.