Self-Catalyzed, Self-Limiting Growth of Glucose Oxidase-Mimicking Gold Nanoparticles

Size and shape of nanoparticles are generally controlled by external influence factors such as reaction temperature, time, precursor, and/or surfactant concentration. Lack of external influence may eventually lead to unregulated growth of nanoparticles and possibly loss of their nanoscale properties. Here we report a gold nanoparticle (AuNPs)-based self-catalyzed and self-limiting system that exploits the glucose oxidase-like catalytic activity of AuNPs. We find that the AuNP-catalyzed glucose oxidation in situ produces hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) that induces the AuNPs' seeded growth in the presence of chloroauric acid (HAuCl(4)). This crystal growth of AuNPs is internally regulated via two negative feedback…