PVD synthesis and transfer into water-based solutions of functionalized gold nanoparticles

Large quantities of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were prepared by physical vapour deposition (PVD) technique. The produced nanoparticles were transferred into water solutions [containing 1% of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)]. To achieve this resuspension, the Au NPs were embedded in a NaCl matrix, also deposited by PVD. In order to avoid the instantaneous and irreversible aggregation of the Au NPs, a surface modification needs to be performed, for example, by coating the metallic particles with plasma polymerized polymers. In this work, we present selected conditions allowing the production of aqueous solutions of Au NPs with small diameters (ca. 10 nm). The whole process is carried out thanks to a fully automatic plasma deposition system, allowing the production of high concentration of gold nanoparticles. © 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.