Stabilized and size-tunable gold nanoparticles formed in a quaternary ammonium-based room-temperature ionic liquid under gamma-irradiation.

Colloidal gold nanoparticles were synthesized in a quaternary ammonium-based room-temperature ionic liquid (QAIL) by gamma-radiation for the first time. Transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and optical techniques were used to characterize the colloidal nanoparticles. By changing the experimental conditions, the size of the gold nanoparticles can be varied between 10 and 50 nm. It was found that gold nanoparticles coated by QAIL are very stable in dispersion.