Size-controlled synthesis of near-monodisperse gold nanoparticles in the 1-4 nm range using polymeric stabilizers.

We report here a simple one-step protocol for the preparation of near-monodisperse gold hydrosols in the small size regime (<5 nm). The particle size can be controlled by varying the concentration of the stabilizing polymer, which can be readily displaced by thiol ligands to yield monolayer protected clusters of the usual type.