The synergistic effect of nitrogen atoms and triblock structure on stabilizing gold nanoparticles for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) play an important role in catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol. To obtain highly dispersed and stable AuNPs, the stabilizer is required. In this work, core-shell-corona polymeric micelles prepared by self-assembly of the commercial ABC triblock polymer poly(ethylene oxide-b-2-vinyl pyridine-b-styrene) (abbreviated to PEO-b-P2VP-b-PS) were explored as an excellent stabilizer of AuNPs. PEO-b-P2VP-b-PS-stabilized AuNPs with the diameter of approximately 7 nm were prepared through chemical reduction of Au ions in aqueous medium at mild conditions. The preparation was environmentally friendly without using any organic solvents and suitable for commercial process without heat. PEO-b-P2VP-b-PS-stabilized AuNPs had high catalytic activity for chemical reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The results of stability and catalytic activity indicated that nitrogen atoms and triblock structure of PEO-b-P2VP-b-PS had synergistic effect on stabilizing AuNPs.