Solution-Stable Colloidal Gold Nanoparticles via Surfactant-Free, Hyperbranched Polyglycerol-b-polystyrene Unimolecular Templates

Hyperbranched polyglycerol-block-polystyrene copolymers, denoted HPG-b-PS, are synthesized and employed as a new and effective unimolecular template for synthesizing colloidal gold (Au) nanoparticles. The coordination of noble metal precursors with polyether within the inner HPG core and subsequent in situ reduction enables the formation of well-dispersed and stable PS-capped Au nanoparticles. The inner HPG core is produced via ring opening multibranching polymerization (ROMBP) and subsequently converted into atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) macroinitiators for the controlled growth of polystyrene (PS) arms possessing low polydispersity (PDI < 1.31). An initial investigation into the templating parameters of HPG-b-PS was undertaken by producing templates with different arm numbers (98 and 117) and different PS chain lengths (i.e., molecular weight = 3500-13400 g/mol). It was found that the PS chain length and solvent conditions affect the quality of the resulting PS-capped colloidal Au nanoparticles. This work demonstrates, for the first time, a simple, lower-cost approach for templating nonpolar solvent-soluble PS-capped Au nanoparticles on the order of 10-30 nm in diameter.