A simple and “green” method for the synthesis of Au, Ag, and Au–Ag alloy nanoparticles

Integration of "green chemistry" principles into nanotechnology is one of the key issues in nanoscience research today. In this work, we report an environmentally benign method for the preparation of Au, Ag, and Au–Ag nanoparticles in water, using glucose as the reducing agent and starch as the protecting agent. The alloy nanoparticles prepared in this way appears to be homogeneous and their sizes are well within the quantum size domain (<10 nm), where they are more amenable to size-dependent changes in electronic properties.