Near Infrared Optical Absorption of Gold Nanoparticle Aggregates

The reduction of HAuCl4 by Na2S has been reported to produce gold nanoparticles with an optical absorption in the near-infrared along with its characteristic absorption in the visible. The optical resonances in the visible are due to the gold surface plasma, which are a function of the geometry of the particles. The near-infrared absorption had been attributed to the formation of Au2S/Au core/shell structures. In this report we present new electronic absorption, electron microscopy, and X-ray absorption data in several systems to show that the near-infrared absorption does not involve core/shell structures. We further suggest that the near-infrared adsorption is most likely the result of the formation of aggregates of gold nanoparticles. The identification of the origin of the near-infrared resonance is critical in understanding the optical properties of metal nanoparticle systems.