Potentiometric Study of the Growth of a Single Au Nanoparticle

A single nanoparticle (NP) attached to a nanoelectrode is a very useful system in understanding the relationship between the size of nanoparticles and their electrochemical properties. In this study, a single Au NP was spontaneously formed on a Pt nanoelectrode. The potential measured on such a system can be employed to study the effect of size of an Au nanoparticle on the Nernst potential of the reaction, AuCl4- +3e → Au(s) +4Cl-. Moreover, the nucleation period and the growth period can be distinguished from the potential graph, and the nucleation rate of the spontaneously formed Au NP can be evaluated.