Biochemical synthesis of gold and zinc nanoparticles in reverse micelles

Gold and zinc nanoparticles were obtained in AOT reverse micelles in isooctane by reduction of the corresponding metal ions by the natural pigment quercetin (the biochemical synthesis technique). Gold and zinc ions were introduced into the micellar solution of quercetin in the form of aqueous solutions, HAuCl4 and [Zn(NH3)4]SO4, to the water to AOT molar ratios 1–3 and 3–4, respectively. The process of nanoparticle formation was investigated by spectrophotometry. Nanoparticle size and shape were determined by transmission electron microscopy. The data obtained allow to conclude that there are two steps in metal ion-quercetin interaction: (1) complex formation, and (2) complex dissociation with subsequent formation of nanoparticles and a second product, presumably oxidized quercetin. Gold nanoparticles were found to be of various shapes (spheres, hexahedrons, triangles, and cylinders) and sizes, mainly in the 10–20 nm range; zinc nanoparticles are chiefly spherical and ∼5 nm in size. In both cases, the nanoparticles are stable in the air in micellar solution over long periods of time (from a several months to a several years).