Nanopod formation through gold nanoparticle templated and catalyzed cross-linking of polymers bearing pendant propargyl ethers.

A novel method for synthesizing polymer nanopods from a linear polymer bearing pendant propargyl ether groups, using gold nanoparticles as both the template and the catalyst for the cross-linking reaction, is reported. The transformations involved in the cross-linking process are unprecedented on the surface of a gold particle. A tentative cross-linking mechanism is proposed.