Capping-agent-free synthesis of substrate-supported porous icosahedral gold nanoparticles.

We report a new capping-agent-free strategy for the synthesis of substrate-supported porous icosahedral Au nanoparticles (NPs) with rough naked surfaces, based on the crystallization from substrate-supported thin solution layers followed by solid-phase thermolysis. The plasmonic properties of icosahedral Au NPs have been studied using single particle dark-field scattering microscopy and spectroscopy. The two distinct localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) bands observed in the single particle dark-field spectra can be ascribed to the quadrupole resonance at ca. 425 nm and the size-dependent dipole resonance in the red region (645-708 nm). The unique rough naked surface, the facile synthesis, together with the ability to control the nanoparticle size and to vary the LSPR frequency in the red region, would make the substrate-supported porous icosahedral Au NPs promising on multiple levels in the applications of catalysis, ultrasensitive biosensors, and in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).