Facile synthesis of gold nanoparticle-coated polystyrene composite particles templated from Pickering emulsion

Abstract

Abstract Herein we develop a facile and controllable strategy for the preparation of composite particles composed of polystyrene (PS) microspheres decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through Pickering emulsion template. The oil-in-water Pickering emulsion is prepared using unmodified citrate-stabilized AuNPs and toluene solution of unfunctionalized PS as stabilizer and dispersion phase, respectively. After the evaporation of toluene from the Pickering emulsion, the AuNP-coated PS composite particles are obtained. The resultant AuNP-coated PS composite particles have been characterized extensively by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Significantly, our method enables easy and effective control over the size and surface coverage of AuNPs on the surface of PS microspheres. Furthermore, the proposed method does not only allow the easy deposition of other noble metal (Ag, Pt, and Pd) nanoparticles onto the surface of PS microspheres but also can be directly applicable to the employed PS polymers derived from different approaches. In addition, the AuNP-coated PS composite particles as an example exhibited excellent catalytic activity and recyclability in the reduction of rhodamine B by NaBH4.