Mechanistic insights on one-phase vs. two-phase Brust-Schiffrin method synthesis of Au nanoparticles with dioctyl-diselenides.

Metal precursors in the one-phase (1p) and two-phase (2p) Brust-Schiffrin method (BSM) synthesis of Au nanoparticles (NPs) using dioctyl-diselenides were identified. A single dominant type of metal precursor was found in the 1p synthesis as compared to multiple ones in the 2p synthesis, which was proposed as the key reason why the former is better than the latter. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012