Synthesis of various crystalline gold nanostructures in water: The polyoxometalate β-[H4PMo12O40]3− as the reducing and stabilizing agent

This paper reports a facile, one-pot, room-temperature synthesis, in water, of various Au nanostructures using, as reducing agent, the mixed-valence polyoxometalate β-H3[H4P(MoV)4(MoVI)8O40]3−. By modifying the initial concentrations of the polyoxometalate and chloroauric acid, the morphology of the synthesized Au nanostructure can be tuned. The whole process is a “green-chemistry-type” synthesis of Au0 nanostructures.