PNNL

Abstract

When materials are reduced in size to the nanometer scale, their physical and chemical properties undergo major changes and become size-dependent, forming the foundation for nanoscience and nanotechnology. Gold nanoparticles and small gold clusters have been the focus of intensive research activities lately. The modern “goldrush” is largely motivated by the recent discoveries that (i) nanogold shows unexpected catalytic properties for a wide spectrum of chemical reactions [1], (ii) nanogold enables selective binding to biomolecules such as DNA and thus can serve as biosensors [2], (iii) gold has important potential applications in nanoelectronics [3,4], and (iv) gold clusters and gold-containing compounds possess unique chemical properties [5]. All these golden discoveries have made gold a surprising and rewarding subject of investigation in nanoscience and cluster science. Indeed, some of our oldest notions regarding gold, such as its inertness, are being changed dramatically by the recent findings in nanogold.